Body Job
by reader-chic-2
Summary: Half-Blood Hill was once home to a popular, old school drive-in movie theater. That all changed when a serial killer murdered a child there. Now, the abandoned lot is home to top notch teenage prostitution led by the infamous, cold-blooded Nico di Angelo. He had a numb routine that kept them all scraping by. He never expected a blonde idiot to wedge his way into their world.
1. Chapter 1

**Body Job**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot. Rick created the characters.**

 **A/N: I AM NOT DEAD! Nor have I risen from the dead. To say my summer and senior year has been busy is the biggest understatement I've heard. But I did not sit idle _every_ night! I wanted to wait until I had a good head start on this story because I still don't have much writing time/urge. But I realllllly love where this is going. For the first time in a while, here is a story by tori with some plot!**

 **Also, S/O to my awesome beta: Maiden of Chains. Thanks SO MUCH!**

 **PS: Will Solace will come into play VERY soon and won't leave once he's introduced, trust. I can't stand for my boys to be separated ;)**

* * *

 _Six Years Ago_

 _Crimson crept along the floor. It seeped down the walls. Some would say the way it splatted against the porcelain-white couch could be considered art. The police had a slightly different view on that matter, and the child with his knees curdled against his chest as he rocked back and forth in the corner had no opinion on it._

 _An officer walked towards the child hidden under the chimney. He was a trainee; his job was to stay out of the way while the 'real' police did their business. The new officer helped the child to his feet, noting the lack of clothes on him. He quickly took off his jacket and draped the pale child in it. It easily covered every inch of him._

 _"Are you okay?" No answer. "What's your name?"_

 _"Zhang! Get your ass over here. No rookie sees this on their first job," a superior, awe struck officer shouted from the similarly blood-soaked kitchen._

 _"There's a kid here," Frank protested._

 _"Of course he'd go for the kid," another officer snorted._

 _Frank felt cold metal against the back of his neck. The click of an unloaded gun sounded directly behind his head. Frank winced. "Dead. That's how fast it happens, Zhang. Next time you want to bend down with your back exposed, alert your partner." Frank spun around and stood in front of his captain._

 _"He didn't-,"_

 _Reyna held up a closed fist. Silence. She peered at the child in question and snarled, "Get a medic in here."_

 _She continued on to the next scene after grimacing at the puddles of blood._

 _Frank didn't want to leave the child's side, but he knew their medic, Apollo, personally. While he couldn't stand him, he knew he was a completely different person with children._

 _The kitchen looked as if there'd been a war fought inside. Two females lied mangled and lifeless. The water in the sink was spewing everywhere, contaminating the crime scene. Frank almost turned it off before remembering to put his gloves on. His hands were shaking. An unconscious male was covered head to toe in blood. The only wound he suffered was a deep gash to his forehead._

 _"Why…?" Frank muttered with confusion._

 _"That's what everybody's asking," Reyna grunted, and with cold certainty, she announced the case. "Serial."_

 _"And rape," hissed Apollo with venom, as if the rapist himself were breaking every bone in his body. Hesitantly, and with as much care as possible, he whispered to the boy. "You know, I have a boy your age, too. He likes to ride in the ambulance for fun. Do you want to try that?"_

 _The boy didn't answer. Frank's attention locked onto the man. He had the same jet-black hair like the boy. The older female was a beautiful Italian woman, and Frank felt a pang of grief. How much earlier could they have arrived to catch the monster who did this to them? How much earlier would it have taken to stop him?_

 _Frank felt a fire burst alive inside him. He gazed at the beautiful teenage girl who had such a long, happy life ahead of her. Silently, unbeknownst to his colleges, he made a vow. He'd stop at nothing to avenge this broken, torn family. He'd find the killer and put him behind bars. He wouldn't even hesitate to kill the monster._

 _With that in mind, he helped the semiconscious man to a sitting position. He took notes of his name, what he remembered, and every last detail of the crime scene. 1This was their serial killer. This same guy raped and murdered four other victims in the past month. He'd braid their hair and take a lock of it as a souvenir. Frank had been studying up on the case out of curiosity. He never imagined he'd get stuck in the middle of it._

 _The serial killer was named the Lord of Death because he'd rape the targeted child at any cost. He'd managed to kill triple the number of people he raped because they simply got in the way._

 _Now he was Frank's first target, and nobody forgets their first target._

. . .

6 Years Later

Smoke followed Nico as he walked to the old picnic table. Eyes sliding over a nearby car, he wrapped his lips around the cigarette and inhaled deeply, focusing on keeping the smoke in his lungs for as long as he could stand.

"You're going to kill yourself one of these days," Clarisse chuckled darkly. She wore a grin that could make any kid under the age of twelve run for the hills. In her hand, she swung her baseball bat, an ironic weapon considering she held two guns in her belt and one knife strapped to her inner thigh. If anyone asked her about her baseball bat, she'd hit them with it. The bat was named Chuck. "Fall over coughing, but nobody'll hear ya cause I'll be laughing my ass off."

Nico shrugged as he took another drag. "Laughing your ass off because you already made your tits fall off," Leo snickered endlessly. He shut up when she hit him in the gut with Chuck. Useful tool, Nico decided.

The car finally made its way to their table. Nico sighed heavily as he pushed himself off the picnic table. The man cranked the Volvo's window down. Nico raised his eyebrows expectantly, moving out of the way for the man in sunglasses to make his pick. Nico appraised the man, making sure he could trust him.

Nice car. Expensive sunglasses. The ring meant he was married, so he most likely wasn't a major pedophile, but Nico would never count that out. The man came with an SUV, so this clearly wasn't his first time. Nico vaguely remembered his red hair. Maybe he'd used a friend's car his first time. Maybe he didn't trust Nico to keep it under wraps. Nico was almost insulted. Thalia and Zoë worked their butts off scouting the woods for cops or detectives, though they rarely found the former. They had an agreement with the police thanks to Chris Rodriquez.

"Blondie," the man said, slipping Nico seventy-five bucks. Peering over his shoulder, he saw Annabeth's head resting on Percy's shoulder. She'd already seen somebody today. Most of the time, nobody had to go twice in one day unless it was a weekend. Nevertheless, Nico waved her over. She didn't seem surprised, just resigned. Most people came for her, Silena, or Percy. Nico never understood why he was such a favorite. Leo was the 'hot Latino,' but Percy was always willing to do more than any of the other guys.

Annabeth walked over as she forced her seductive smile onto her lips. Silena catcalled towards her from the bench, and Percy followed along. She started swaying her hips. Nico felt both pride and moral disgust; he didn't even have to coach her anymore. "How's it going?" she keened while the redheaded man popped open his passenger door. Nico peered inside, as did Clarisse.

"You have two hours. I'll hold on to her payment." Her payment was one hundred twenty-five dollars and he'd give it to her after he left. Only a number of times did the client demand a refund, and only once did Nico allow it.

Most clients already knew the rules. If not, then their person of choice would explain them. They were simple.

If they say ' _παυεις_ ,' you stop. If they tap three times, you stop and release them. Condoms are mandatory. No punching or maiming. No weapons. If you have questions, they know what's allowed and what's not. Keep the doors unlocked or we'll break a window at your cost.

Simple.

Annabeth's two hours were up quickly. It was only 6 in the afternoon, but her night was up. Most of the time, however, she stayed around and kept everyone company. She was one of the long timers.

Annabeth, Percy, Leo, and Piper all could be found at Half-Blood Hill any day from four to four in the morning. Technically, they closed at three, but if somebody wanted to finish an hour, they were around. Anyone could find either Grover or Juniper, who made sure everyone had food, clothes, or anything else they needed, at Half-Blood Hill from three to eight in the evening, though not of recently. Damn them and their marriage.

Nico could be found there almost any time.

Glancing at his phone, he motioned to Clarisse. With an overly excited grunt, she made her way towards the large white screen. It had holes in it now, but back in its glory days, it brought movies to the entire town. Nico didn't remember those days, but he'd been told plenty of stories about it. This place used to be packed and sold out every Saturday night. Nobody ever complained about a single thing either. It was a classic hang out.

That all ended six and a half years ago when a boy was killed in the popular drive-in. Half his body's blood was poured on the white screen, the other half was allegedly ingested by the killer himself. Nobody ever came back after that, and since then it was known as Half-Blood Hill, or HBH.

The Volvo was parked as far from the picnic table as possible. Half of the clients got as secluded as possible. The other half was willing to throw down right in front of them. Clarisse banged against the windows of the Volvo and one man's head popped up in surprise. Nico sighed and lit another cigarette, uninterested.

Annabeth came back grumbling. "Fucking ripped my shirt," she hissed, taking a seat between Percy and Silena. Her blonde hair was all over the place. As the Volvo rolled out of the lot, she tied it up in a ponytail that failed to control the mess. Silena rolled her eyes distastefully.

"I don't see why you won't let me fix you up after," she protested, twirling a lock of her own black hair between her fingers. Silena was always primped and pampered. She thrived on that kind of thing. She didn't look like the girl who'd hang out at Half-Blood Hill. She looked like a cheerleader who flirted with all the guys. Maybe that was where she got it. Piper and Silena definitely battled it out for the best flirter despite the fact that it didn't matter. Anyone who came by knew what they wanted before they even had a chance to speak.

"Because I don't give a damn," Annabeth said as she pulled out her architecture book. Silena gazed emptily at the blonde hair. Nico could see her heart screaming 'so much potential!' Silena had an elaborate on-the-go make-up and hair kit with her at all times. Nico didn't have the heart to tell her that it didn't make an ounce of a difference.

Leo was starting a fire as the night progressed. The Stoll brothers were huddled together, most likely plotting another prank. Nico cursed under his breath.

"Idiot one and idiot two!" he yelled. "Shirts off."

They both flipped him the bird and unbuttoned their flannels. Around eight, there were two cars in the drive-in. Nico milled around and sat by Leo, not enjoying the warmth of the fire, but also not enjoying how alone Leo was.

Leo had a knack for getting into their worst situations around here. "How's the arm feeling?" Nico asked, leaning against the tree as he put out his cigarette.

Leo grinned up at him and winked. "Why? Want to test it out daddy?"

Nico rolled his eyes and cringed. "Thank the gods you aren't gay. You'd get beaten up every time you hit on a guy."

Leo chuckled mischievously. "It's fine. I just hope I don't dislocate it again. It took Clarisse four tries to pop it into place. I knew I should have just waited for Calypso."

Nico felt the tugging sensation of a smirk beginning to form on his lips, but he promised Piper he'd stop letting Leo see. It wasn't his fault; everyone else found the idea of Leo having a girlfriend…frankly hilarious. Nobody had heard of her before. Seventy-five percent of the teenage population in their town went to one of two public schools. A small percentage went to the private school, and even so, they had one person at every school. Not a single soul had heard of the name Calypso. Her story just never made sense. She had no last name. He always said he'd bring her by sometime and then she'd bail because her father caught her sneaking out. And finally, he had one picture of her that proved she was miles out of his league.

He wasn't lacking in the looks department. He simply had the maturity level of a middle school boy, and this girl looked somewhat mature enough to see it.

"That guy wants to try the chains again," Nico explained. "Rachel said he was willing to double his offer."

Leo rolled his eyes. "Why can't Rachel hand him off to Percy? Percy's better at the kinky shit anyways."

It was a dumb question. Nico let out un-amused laughter. "You know why Rachel won't send the dangerous shit to Percy."

Leo let his shoulders drop. He focused on stoking the fire and muttering curses under his breath to their red-headed spy.

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was the daughter of the richest guy in town, who was never home. She was their eyes to the private school and to the secretly closeted rich men. Most of the time, Nico's business was used for closeted gay men. They watched the straight men more closely because Nico's prices were higher than the usual hooker, and normally there was a reason these men didn't go to a strip joint or deep into the city to find a 'real' prostitute. However, Nico's girls were willing to do just about anything, and there was little to no chance of being caught. In his eyes, his business was better, but that wasn't the case with many straight men. They often got the pedophiles and stalkers out here.

Still, it was hard to get the richer, snobbier men to come to HBH, but then Percy accidentally spilled his secret about his line of work when he and Rachel had embarrassingly attempted at dating. It was still awkward between the two. Percy was the one to end it, but Rachel still was pining after him day by night and night by day. She'd never send him anything outside of the norm, which was ironic. Nico considered Percy to be their most flexible guy.

The sound of a truck's engine caught Nico's attention. With a groan of distaste, he stood up and patted Leo on the back. "Stretch next time."

"I did!"

The crackle of the fire wasn't even enough to distract Nico from the obnoxious engine rumbling in front of the table. He glanced over his shoulder, itching to get back to the cabin and catch some sleep. The cabin used to be the storage unit for the drive-in. When Leo came along, he added some major upgrades. Now it had electricity, which Nico was half sure was illegal, a TV with a DVD player (no cable), a working kitchen, and even plumbing. The Stoll brothers managed to steal just about everything in there for them, even the luxurious couch. In the back room, which Nico had deemed his office, was off limits to everyone. Only Nico had the key to that room, though he suspected Leo had picked the lock a few times, which sent his nerves on end even thinking about it. Leo was certainly capable of doing that. The Stolls were as well, but even they weren't stupid enough to do that. Nico was the king of followed-through threats.

"Hey faggot!" the driver of the said truck shouted. His passenger laughed and slapped his knee, nearly spilling their cheap beer. These were Nico's least favorite customers.

Nevertheless, Nico made his way to the window. "We just want a quickie."

He grit his teeth because they went through the same stupid routine every time. "We have blowjobs, two hours, or all night. That's it."

"Queers always so damn self-righteous," the driver slammed his beer against the dashboard. He threw it at Nico's feet. "Fine. Give us two blow jobs."

This was the most infuriating part. "We're all out of girls right now."

"What kind of fucking pimp are you?" the passenger said, spitting out his window. Nico's hands clenched. He looked at the sky, wondering if he sounded as stupid as he felt.

"A blowjob is a blowjob," he hissed.

"Give me a damn discount."

"30 each." That was the regular rate, but they didn't need to know that. Rachel had set this up. It wasn't often she recruited such…un-classy clients, but these two had come to her. She was good at reading people. These two rednecks didn't want to admit their attraction to men, so Nico had to say they were out of girls no matter if they were or weren't. It was humiliating, but they came at least once a week. He wasn't going to turn down such constant money.

They handed over the money. Nico would give it to the guys after. For short cases such as blowjobs, they kept the cars close by. These two in particular just went in the bed of the truck. Most would stand outside the car, but either way it was obvious if they tried to do more than thirty bucks worth.

"Stoll's!" Nico motioned. The twins caught sight of the clients and tried not to show it in their faces as they followed the truck to the side.

Most of the clients wanted blowjobs. It was well worth the money for the clients, since it wasn't too out of the way, and of course, 'professionals' did it. The only problem was that it wasn't too profitable for Nico or his staff. Nico would only get ten out of it. The twins would only get twenty. That was enough to get by. They only truly had excess money to spend if they went all the way. Most did, but the Stoll brothers weren't very high in demand.

Nico closed up shop around three that evening. It was a slow day. Annabeth was waiting around for Percy to finish up. "It's annoying, you know, having your best friend be the most popular client."

"He gets an average of three a day," Nico agreed. Percy, thankfully, wasn't on the clock every day. He worked about three times a week despite coming to HBH every day. "Even Luke never got that many requests."

Annabeth stiffened as she looked at Nico. "Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, he mostly just did what I do now, but you had to start somewhere," Nico shrugged.

Annabeth smiled softly, her rosy cheeks growing redder by the second. He would never understand her obsession for Luke Castellan. He was a great guy, but she barely knew him. Sure, he took her under his wing for a grand total of a week before Silena came along. He did that to every newcomer. Nico knew the treatment. He never took offense to it; that was just the way Luke was.

"And I'm sure you had even more than Percy, huh?" Annabeth teased. It was a harmless thing to say. Everyone joked around up on HBH. Nico didn't take his anger out on her, but he loathed the question. He only loathed the question because he loathed his answer.

"That was a long time ago," Nico whispered somberly. Most of them were around in the 'glory days." Nico was their star, everyone knew it. Newcomers always requested him, but Luke was good at keeping the details and numbers quieted. Only he knew the specifics of his past and he intended on keeping it that way.

Annabeth's features hardened into the more familiar expression. She rarely smiled for anyone but Percy anymore. Her grey eyes glittered in the night while the last car drove away. Percy and Clarisse walked over, neither speaking a word.

"He's bleeding again," Clarisse snarled with too much joy. Nico pressed his lips into a firm line.

Percy limped over with a clenched jaw. It was unclear whether he was annoyed with the brutal girl or in pain. "We ran out of lube and he wouldn't stop," he laughed like a baby had just eaten its own booger. Nico cringed inwardly. "No biggie. I'll need a few days off though."

"I'll cover your ass, like always," Annabeth shoved his shoulder. "Sure you don't want a ride home, Neeks?"

He waved his hand. "I'm good. I have bills to pay and shitheads to call." It was the truth. Most nights, he did the work while he hung out with the gang. Today, though, he spent too much time arguing with a customer about what was considered abuse.

"Bye guys." Percy and Annabeth climbed in the front seat of their car. It took them three years to save up for that car with both of their incomes combined. In their eyes, they found it more worthwhile to share a decent car rather than buy shitty ones. Nico agreed and secretly gave them a larger bonus every month. In return, they gave everyone rides home. Clarisse hopped in the back and he was alone with a dwindling fire.

The area used to be a lot nicer. Now it was mostly worn out dirt in a clearing upon a hill. He remembered the days where his mother would take him and his sister to watch the movies. His father never went. He called them childish wastes of time. Maria disagreed full heartedly every time.

Nico walked through the cabin and into his office before he collapsed onto his bed. It had black sheets and an old blanket from his childhood, which happened to also be black. The inside of his bedroom was spacious. Bedroom, however, was a loose term. He had a total of one bed and one chest containing his minimal clothes. In the other corner sat his art supplies. He was saving up for an easel. Right now, everything he drew was in his sketchbook that was running very low. His mother used to paint these elaborate scenes and elegant portraits. Nico ached to try his hand at painting.

But it was five in the morning. He didn't even have the energy to slip into the shower before his eyes fluttered closed.

* * *

 **A/N: I reallly need some feed back on this one. It's darker, but who doesn't just die for a dark story?**

 **How do you think I'm going to portray Will Solace in this? Goody goody or baddy daddy? ;)**

 **Ahh I just love a story where I can be _sexual_ from the start. Since I have little time to write, I'm going to need some love before I post! LET ME HEAR YOUR GOOD AND BAD REVIEWS! Next should be up in a week or two...unless you coerce me pleasantly!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot. Rick owns the characters.**

 **FYI: These characters aren't too canon. I just like tall dark Nico. Also, bad news,** **Will isn't in this chapter, but he is at basically the beginning of the next one!**

* * *

Some people were just meant to be thrown into other's lives. Some things in their unpredictable world were just inevitable. No matter what you did to get rid of them, they were there, constantly and irreplaceably.

Nico wasn't used to this sort of reassurance. For the longest time, he might have appreciated it. Now it just got under his skin. He'd grown used to being on his own. He knew the in's and out's of it. Nothing surprised him and nothing hurt him.

And he didn't intend on changing that for blonde haired, blue-eyed _child_.

. . .

It started out like a normal day. With Percy out of the business, Leo and the twins were both on the clock. Though the two dirty blondes weren't technically twins, Nico figured the clients didn't need to know that. Percy was at home, for once getting to see his angel of a mother between her jobs. Annabeth and Piper were the two girls scheduled, and Silena decided to show up for a little extra. Most of the time, nobody had anywhere else to go or anything else to do.

Or anyone else to do.

Surprisingly enough, not many people wanted to date a child prostitute.

Piper was late, though, and Nico was mad. It was one thing when Percy or Annabeth didn't show up. They, at least, were there nearly every other day anyways. Percy was always on high demand, but still, it kind of evened out. The only reason Nico didn't flip shit on them when they showed up was because most of these kids had damn good reasons for being late. It wasn't like they had it easy and just decided selling their bodies was ' _so cool!_ '

A white van showed up, and Nico knew whom it was before they even rolled down the window. "Stolls," Nico shouted.

They pushed themselves off the bench with their usual laziness, shoving each other tiredly and mischievously. Nico gave them a glare. They were the only ones who constantly pushed his limits. The only customers who demanded their money back came from those two, and it was normally because they played some kind of ridiculous joke on the client. Leo had his own mischievous streak, but he knew when to keep it locked under control; he was more than terrified of Nico's obsidian sword he kept stored inside the cabin.

Nico made his way to the window, eyes colder than normal for this client. Hungar held a special, dead place in his heart. "Ah, my sweet, sweet, Ghost King," the man's thirsty gaze looked him up and down. Nico crossed his arms over his chest and raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure I can't take you for a little spin, darling?"

His voice was scratchy, as if he'd started smoking in the sixth grade and never stopped. It was the way he licked his lips and chewed something along the lines of gum that made Nico's skin crawl.

"One seventy-five up front. Two hundred to each kid," Nico extended his hand.

"You're missing the fun," Hungar winked, handed over the money, and made a show of revving the engine. Nico felt a pang of empathy reaching out towards the Stoll brothers. He never would let it show, but he felt it. That man was the most disgusting one he'd been with, and that was a hard title to win in his line of business.

Nico stared after the van as it pulled deep into the lot. He was caught up in memories, unpleasant, horrid memories of his time with that man. Nico debated refusing his business from now on. If the brothers had raised even the slightest complaint, he'd have shut him out no questions asked, but the twins needed the money. It was, without a doubt, the quickest way to cash.

"You fucking stalker! I said to leave me alone!"

Piper's shrill voice jolted him out of his thoughts. Nico turned toward the trees on his left. Her russet skin seemed to glimmer in the setting sun. Her hair was a mess and falling across her face, which seemed upset in and of itself. That scowl didn't grace her face for no reason.

Nico found the source of her problem in seconds. Behind her walked a tall blonde stranger with boxy black glasses. He seemed just as heated as Piper, but whatever he was saying dropped off his lips when he took in the sight before him.

Everyone was looking right back at him. It seemed like he was struggling to piece it all together, but then Leo stopped singing. Though it was out of tune, it did manage to cover up the sounds coming from the van nearby. Nico grit his teeth.

Hungar insisted his doors were just weak, that they'd fly open all on their own. It was total bullshit. He just wanted Nico to see.

"Dammit, Chris, shut them the hell up," Nico stormed past the picnic table where Silena stopped flirting with Leo long enough to watch what was going down. Chris was an average looking boy, if anything a little lost. He definitely wasn't as good at being their bodyguard as Clarisse was. Since he was working at becoming an honest police officer, however, his skills had improved slightly. With two bangs of his gun on the van's side, the moaning stopped and the door closed with two loud thumps.

Outsiders were not welcome here, not without clearing it with Nico first. It was one thing to have somebody on the inside. It was another to have parents of rich kids being the extremely misguided volunteers to save the children of Olympia from 'corruption,' as if starvation and abuse didn't corrupt them enough.

Annabeth's glare was just as perfected as Nico's. "Who the hell are you?" she snarled, grabbing Piper and pushing the smaller girl behind her. Piper stomped her foot and rolled her eyes, the most teenage thing Nico had seen her do in a while.

"He's a dumb jock from my high school," Piper groaned, running her hands through her hair. "I'm sorry, Nico. I didn't-,"

"Dumb jock?" the blonde scoffed. "Piper, I am heartbroken. I expect some type of credit for keeping you from failing Latin class."

Her eyes fell to her feet as she stomped out an old cigarette bud. "Yeah, well, Latin's dumb, too."

"Jason? Jason Grace," Leo whistled. "Never thought I'd see you here, bud."

Jason's frown only deepened as he took in Leo Valdez. Nico assumed the three went to the same school. He knew Piper and Leo normally walked from school to Half-Blood Hill together after class.

"Yeah…" Jason trailed off as he seemed to make his decision about their half-assed home. Nico crossed his arms over his chest, unsure how he wanted to deal with this situation. The Grace name was not unfamiliar to him, but he still didn't trust this goody-two shoed kid. "I heard about the football team using this place as a hook-up spot before," Jason laughed nervously. Piper grumbled something under her breath, something that didn't settle well on Jason's features. "I just didn't know there was all this."

For dramatic effect, as most young white men loved to add to a conversation, he made a grand gesture from one end of the woods to the other. This really wasn't that secluded from everyone. It was extremely close to the main highway. All anyone had to do was take a side road up the hill and they'd be there. It was three miles from downtown Olympia.

"Have something to say, Grace?" Nico finally emerged from between the girls. He was slightly taller than Jason, hardly noticeable, but it didn't affect Jason. Of course it wouldn't, Nico thought inwardly with distaste. Jason Grace was his school's star quarterback. He constantly walked around with a rich name on his back and his rugged teammates at his side. He owned his world. Except this wasn't his world. To Jason, this may as well have been Mars.

Jason stepped back and raised his eyebrows. "Not a word, Nico," he said, clearly having better memory than Nico did. "After seven years, I finally found out what my sister does for a 'living.' Took me long enough, huh?"

"Where is Thalia?" Nico gritted his teeth, hand inching toward his phone in his back pocket.

Jason beamed. Piper rolled her eyes. "He tied her up somewhere out there."

"Respect, my brotha," Leo extended a hand with a genius smile on his face. Jason laughed as he relaxed and did their weird straight-guy handshake. It was like a universal sign. If somebody shook hands like that, they were straight, even Leo Valdez who struck out with every female he found.

"So I can expect you to bail us all out if we get busted?" Nico grumbled. "What are you doing here?"

Jason's eyes landed on Piper. "I wanted to know where Piper spent so much time she couldn't go on one date with me."

It was deadly silent as Piper muttered a curse under her breath in something that reminded Nico of his native language. It must have been Latin.

And then Nico burst out laughing. With a heavy eye roll, he couldn't contain his hysteria. "Jason Grace, love-struck by our stunning little seductress!" he clapped his hands and fell apart from the group. "Beautiful. Just beautiful. Please, don't let me stop you. Love always wins, yeah?"

Nico tore away from the group and found his bitter post against the picnic table. Butt growing numb the longer he sat, he grabbed a cigarette and lit it. "Somebody untie Thalia," he shouted half-heartedly behind him. They weren't in any big danger. If a swarm of police came, Nico had no qualms about throwing Hungar under the bus. Travis and Conner would have no trouble escaping the heat. They always did.

Laughter echoed from Jason's mouth and Nico spat into the ground.

. . .

Jason Grace took some getting used to. It wasn't like Nico hated change. He just hated unexpected, unapproved change. It helped that at least Piper seemed to be alike in his tastes over the blonde who wouldn't take their advice and escape while he could. Nico originally had been counting on Thalia to put her foot down and say no.

Apparently, she wasn't even living at home anymore. Nico knew she loathed her mother, but did that really mean she had to let Jason make all his decisions for himself?

It was Wednesday night. Nico didn't close up shop often. Maybe twice a month, though, he just wanted a night to himself. It was quite ironic, however, seeing as his friends refused to let him spend it alone. Once, they tried to make him go out to a bar or club. Nico whipped out his switchblade faster than they could finish the sentence on that idea, so the notion was put to rest. Still, most of them came around with supplies for a decent bonfire. A few even brought dates. Since the drive-in closed down, Nico supposed there never was a single day this place went by without someone having sex there. The only rarity was if there no money involved.

Leo was manning the fire. Jason and he started laughing at something, and Piper tried her best to hide her smile, but it failed. Even if she didn't like Jason Grace, she sure did enjoy his company.

"Okay, okay, top this. This guy could only get hard if I stroked his dick…with my foot," Annabeth challenged over her cheap drink, eyes glossy from the alcohol and firelight. Percy's eyes followed her eye movement, the green sea drifting around his head and out his sparkling orbs. Annabeth had her legs flung over his, and Nico noticed how Percy's hand was just barely above the bottom of her (short) dress, keeping her pressed tightly against his side.

"Easy," Percy laughed genuinely. He towered over Annabeth, even while sitting down. He leaned down while she craned her neck just to spot his handsome features. "Last week I took two dicks at once."

Annabeth groaned, slapping his chest while jutting out her lip in protest. "Not fair, Seaweed Brain. I'm talking strictly non-penetrative sex!"

Red caked his cheeks and he did he best to hide his embarrassment. Nico didn't know why. Annabeth corrected him too many times for Percy to truly care. "Oh! Okay…" he thought long and hard. "When I was working the bars downtown, there was this guy, maybe eighty years old and that's being generous, who wanted to give me a rim job for who the hell knows why. I was just chilling, ass in the air-,"

"Beautiful imagery."

"- thank you - when it got weaker and weaker. He'd been rubbing my soft as shit dick, too, and then everything stopped. His hand fell, his tongue just chilled there against my ass…and so I got up and looked at him. His eyes were closed, so I figured he got bored and fell asleep. Like, he was really old. So I left. Turns out, he had a heart attack and died on me."

Annabeth cracked up, and Percy joined in. That was how their friendship went. They were constantly caught up in disgusting stories, always attempting to outdo the other. Nico used to find it disturbing. Then he figured out how their home lives were, and…yeah, that wasn't the worst thing to talk about in their free time.

Thalia and Zoë always took the night off when he had bonfires. There'd been a few times when cops would show up on them without warning, but they didn't even bat their eyes at kids drinking around a bonfire since they'd been expecting a prostitution joint going on.

It was amazing how fast everyone could scattered when Thalia or Zoë did happen to spot a cop during business hours.

Something distinctly rock-like hit Nico in the back of his head. "What the fuck is my baby brother doing here?" Thalia hissed, shoving Nico's shoulder. There were few people who dared to mess with Nico. Percy might have, long ago, but not anymore.

Nico leaned back. Jason was milling around Piper before she sort of made a move to backhand him. Thalia and him shared the same piercing blue eyes. It was annoying. "I don't have anything against him."

"But-,"

"But what? What are you, Thals? Scared?" Nico scoffed as if she couldn't be any more stupid.

Thalia's eyes narrowed. She clenched her fists. "I don't have time to sit here and be manipulated, di Angelo. That's my brother."

Nico leaned backwards slowly, like he had nothing else better to be doing. Jason was making his way towards them, a bright too-optimistic smile on his lips. Nico snorted and patted Thalia's shoulder. "And I'm so sorry for that. Don't worry. A week here will make him less delusional – he might even survive!"

"Go to hell," Thalia spat out, storming away from the fire.

"Already there, Thals," Nico snickered, watching the heat of his anger follow her to Annabeth's side. She'd get her anger out on Percy. Jason's gaze was annoying him. It was very prominent. He'd never have a chance in the world on his own with such an intense stare.

"Take a seat. You'll get tired staring so hard," Nico sighed over his shoulder. Jason hesitated, surprised at being caught, clearly. He took the seat next to Nico, stiff with uncertainty. They sat in silence. Nico knew he was uncomfortable. He made most people uncomfortable. Finally, he blurted out one of his millions of questions.

"Does my sister not want me here because she's one of your…girls?" Jason asked, voice much too high for his demandingly masculine aura. Nico smirked because this was just too damn good. He couldn't remember the last time something made him want to laugh.

"You think Thalia would let a man near her body?" Nico chortled. "Or woman, for that matter? Add on that it'd be for money and…no. Hell no. I mean, come on. I didn't take you to be stupid."

Jason blushed, eyes locking on the fire so fast Nico was pretty sure that's where they'd stay for the rest of the night. "Alright, then what does she do? This has been her secret job for almost seven years now."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Thalia and Zoë are our spotters. They have cameras placed at the road to tell us if any cops are on their way up. Thalia likes to stay out there herself half the time."

Jason grunted, as if that answer satisfied him. "You protect them, right?" Nico sent him a look as if he'd just asked him if he was a god. "I just… Piper's good at fighting her own battles. She can throw down like any other soldier, but this isn't a battlefield. She's a spy for the damn Koreans, dude."

Nico almost laughed again. Was this guy serious? He came in and there was an ounce of doubt that made Nico wonder if he could handle them. Of course, one look at his outfit made everyone see otherwise. It was a disappointment, truly, but of course all jocks were.

Piper crashed into Jason's side giggling. "Don't mind him, Nico. He's high as a kite."

Nico nodded his head. He didn't know if that made him like the guy more or less. "First time, I'm assuming."

"Nah. Second. Once, Piper said we'd 'go back to her place,'" Jason almost fell over when he put the air quotes around the words. "She's such a tease, I swear. When I'm about to kiss her, she shoves a blunt into my mouth."

Nico snorted. That sounded like Piper. Piper pretended to be a free spirit. She really didn't smoke a lot. In all actuality, she focused on her schoolwork more than anyone Nico had seen, aside from Annabeth. Granted, he never hung out with the smarter crowd. But to the open eye, she was easy going and laid back. It was hard to pick a fight with her, but you can't knock Leo for trying.

Nico was still trying to determine whether Jason was okay in his book or not. The kid wasn't dangerous to Half-Blood Hill, that much was clear by the devoted look in his eyes. It was probably the surprise factor that made him reluctant to…to do who knew what. There was just something about Jason Grace that made it impossible to find him untrustworthy.

He made up his mind when Piper, seven shots in, started making out with him. At first, Jason let it carry on. After all, he looked about ready to shit himself. And it was probably a good thing he stopped shortly after it started considering she started vomiting five minutes later.

Nico sipped idly on his coke and whiskey. With each sip, his body loosened, grateful for some sort of relief from the outside world. It became too much too quickly. Memories swirled around in his head. Unanswered questions and obscure images ruled his life now. It didn't matter what he did. Nico couldn't let go. And when he did, what was he to think about? He'd remember the feel of wrinkled, grimy hands running all over his body. He'd remember the pain with each thrust. He'd remember the bitter taste that accompanied the day-drinking clients. He'd remember the way their words felt like slaps to his soul.

It was too much.

"Aw, shit!" Leo cursed. When Nico looked up, Leo was clutching his arm. Jumping up and down, he cursed like a sailor. "Fuck! Fucking hell, my arm! Ohhhh shit! Hurts like a bastard! Oi! Take a look at this shit! Holy fuck, my arm's on fire!"

Leo was, in fact, not completely wrong. His arm wasn't necessarily on fire. Nico would call it smoldering. Percy came running over, vodka bottle in hand. "I got you, bro." He then continued to douse Leo's arm in vodka…

 _Then_ Leo wasn't lying when he said his arm was on fire.

"Oh shit!" Percy's eyes shot into his hairline. Thankfully, he grabbed Jason's bottle of water and managed to extinguish the flames. Annabeth hit Percy upside the head while Thalia and Zoë leaned against parallel trees, laughing. Leo fell to the ground.

"What the fuckkkk?" Leo groaned. "I don't have shit for medical insurance. I'm going to lose my arm! Dammit!"

"At least nobody will ask you to give another damn handjob," Percy said with longing. Annabeth rolled her eyes and stepped closer to Leo. When he swung around and nearly kicked her, she gave up.

"Die then," she huffed.

"Yo, Jason, help me get up in a seat. We have to-,"

"-disinfect the wound," Jason concluded. Percy opened his mouth with a frown.

"Uhhh, no," he grinned with that crooked grin. "We don't have that expensive stuff around here, Grace. We rough it." He looked to Nico. "Knife me, bro."

Nico smirked with a hard glint in his eyes. "Tempting, Jackson. Very tempting." He carefully handed his knife to Percy, hilt first. He knew what he was doing. They'd done it to Annabeth when she'd taken a switchblade to the gut. It was during Nico's last year of high school. They were hanging out in the back lot, everyone more or less smoking up aside from Annabeth and Percy. Some girl claimed Percy was gay. Percy didn't really react. He mainly just laughed, but Annabeth sort of went off on the girl. She said she'd prove he wasn't gay and kissed him. Nico hadn't seen a longer kiss in public before. The girl, who'd hit on Percy all week until he finally just had to turn her down, became bloodthirsty and came just short of stabbing her in the back, creating a steady stream of blood despite the miss. Ruthless and also fascinating…once Nico knew she'd be fine, of course.

Because they had such little funds and physically no adult at the time, they simply pressed a searing blade against the superficial wound in order to protect her from bacteria.

And that was exactly what Percy did to Leo, though Nico wasn't sure if it'd even be of use in this case. Unsurprisingly, Leo claimed it hurt even worse than the first time around. When Percy finished, he jumped to hit feet, ready to boast about his supreme doctoral skills, but it was at that moment that he tripped. When he fell, the knife embedded itself into his thigh…deep.

At first, he grunted, and then came his scream. It was much deeper yet quieter than Leo's previous screams were. He shut up quicker as well. Nico supposed he should have been able to handle this pain well considering his upbringing. He was taking deep breaths as he rolled to his back.

"Well, that wasn't the plan," he heaved, clutching his thigh precariously, as if he had trouble believing he had a knife in his thigh.

"Ha! Karma, kelp brains," Thalia chuckled over her cup of, most likely, pure rum.

Piper cursed under her breath and shoved Leo out of the way despite his injuries, which he kindly pointed out. She breathed a sigh of relief upon closer inspection. "It's not bleeding a lot. I think it missed everything important," she glanced at Nico. "But it needs stitches."

Percy scooted back and put on his brave face, which Nico could tell was forced by his quivering lower lip. "I'll be fine. Just yank it out and we'll wrap it up. Has to heal eventually."

Nico had high doubts about that. Nevertheless, it was the best they could do for the moment. In his head, he was mentally counting how much money they had saved up. He might have been able to pull in enough to cover the cost of a very basic doctor visit, but Percy could forget about an emergency visit. Those things were expensive and they ran too many even more expensive tests.

"Like he said. We'll wait and see. Now give me my knife back, Jackson."

* * *

 **A/N: Thanks 0fictionluver0 for the review! I promise Will is coming and he's the adorable innocent Will we all love. I really hope we can get some more reviews this time. I love feedback, so let me hear it good or bad. Also, if you want some Solangelo _now_ then check out my one shots :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **I own nothing. S/O always to .chains my awesome beta!**

* * *

They should not have waited.

Percy, Nico, and Annabeth all stayed the night in the cabin. Percy's mother would be working all night anyways, so she didn't miss him. When he managed to make the pull-out couch into a bed, he told Annabeth he had work to do in his study and that there was a couch he'd sleep on, and for her to share the bed with Percy. Annabeth seemed surprised to hear that he had a couch of his own in there, but she slipped in beside Percy without a word. He could see her deep concern growing for the boy.

Nico woke to repeated beating on his door. "I swear to the gods I will take my knife to both of your throats if you don't shut the hell up!" Nico groaned when he remembered he had guests. The pounding didn't stop, so he knew it was Annabeth. He fumbled into pants and cracked the door open with a glare that signaled without his now stolen hours of sleep, he was a dead man that would drag whoever was responsible down with him.

"It's Percy," Annabeth challenged with a tinge to her expression that wasn't used often. Nico was not a dumb man, so he followed her quick steps to the couch. "He needs that closed up, Nico."

The wound was red and oozing still, hours later. Nico crossed his arms in thought. Annabeth was right. He needed a doctor before he lost his leg. Surprisingly, there weren't many fetishes for one-legged boys.

"I'll be back."

Nico knew no adult would help. He also knew no average college student was smart enough to help, and medical students would be too distraught at the horribly wrong ethical side of Percy's situation to help out. So that left him one option.

He had few friends in school. Of those friends, his two youngest ones were his most helpful. Lou Ellen Blackstone and Cecil Markowitz were now juniors, and they knew everyone. They could get you anything at any time. They had all the gossip, which Nico steered clear of for lack of interest in becoming mentally insane, and all the weapons, drugs, or love you could desire. It was ridiculous.

He found them on their lunch break at lunch. Nico noticed they were sitting with two other kids, but he could hardly make out their faces. Cecil noticed him first. He nudged Lou, and then they made their way to him.

Cecil had that grin that made Nico want to watch his wallet in fear of it being stolen, even if Cecil was a friend. "Ah, our good ole Ghost King."

"Nico," Lou nodded more soberly, obviously sensing Nico's mood. He didn't openly seek them out in daylight without a reason, especially in public. "What's going on?"

He shifted his feet, uncomfortable with the intense staring coming from one of the boys at their table. "I need a doctor."

Cecil giggled. "A doctor? Dude, what-?"

"Shut it," Lou hissed, elbowing his side. Her eyes were knitted with concern. "What for?"

"Percy stabbed himself – it doesn't need more explanation than that it was Percy, clumsy as ever. He's fine, but it needs stitches before it gets infected or shit. Can you help me out or not?"

Cecil scoffed. "Of course we can. It's cheaper if you want me to steal the needle and stitches straight out, but you'd need-,"

Lou glared at him like he spoke a sin. "We have the perfect guy for you," she beamed too brightly, green hair falling away from her eyes as she tilted her head back. "We'll bring him around in an hour."

Despite the relief he felt, he was a little wary of letting somebody in so close to one of his guys. However, Lou and Cecil had never let him down before, so he nodded, turned on his heel and left.

When Nico made it back to the cabin, Percy looked worse than before. His head rested in Annabeth's lap as she squeezed out all the water from a wet cloth onto his head. He snorted and rolled his eyes, though it was clearly forced. "She thinks I'm getting a fever."

"Lucky you," came Leo's voice from the kitchen. Nico jumped, surprised to see him there. Piper was sitting on the counter with Jason at her side, as always. "Hey Neeks, where ya been?"

Annabeth shot him a cold glare that made Nico shudder. "Yeah. _Where were you_?"

He held his hands up and threw off his shoes. "Finding a doctor," he muttered. "They'll be here soon. Don't complain."

"They?" Annabeth questioned. "You haven't even met with them, have you?"

"I have."

"What's their name?" Nico opened his mouth to respond but came up short. "Or better yet, their gender?"

"Okay, fuck off," Nico growled, throwing his jacket towards Annabeth. "Does it matter? It's a doctor, okay? Be grateful you-,"

His phone started ringing off the hook. Nico frowned as he answered. "There are three kids _walking_ to your place through the woods," Zoë muttered distastefully into the phone.

Nico almost forgot that Zoë couldn't see him roll his eyes. "Are you sure there's three _kids_?"

"What? You think adults are just strolling through the woods?"

Nico sighed, ending the call with more frustration than when Percy had done the stabbing. He rubbed his temples and yanked on his boots, annoyed with having to be pulled outside again so early. On his way to the door, he stopped cold. The clock read almost four. He supposed walking all the way to Lou's school and back certainly did take near an hour on its own. He always had been one to lose track of time. It was too easy; every day was too much like the previous. Next time, he'd take his V-Rod.

"Alright, get out there, guys. And somebody call Silena. I've got some kid doctor to deal with," Nico huffed without interest. Leo began walking out, and nobody followed him. "For fuck's sake, what now?"

"I'm staying with Percy." Annabeth offered no room for argument, but Nico was going to hell if he didn't try. He motioned to Piper to take her turn for dumb arguments.

"I just – Jason's here, and-,"

"And I don't care. You have two guys coming for you today…and one in twenty minutes," Nico checked his texts. He narrowed his eyes towards Annabeth. "You can stay until we get the idiot they dragged in to look at his leg out the door."

Annabeth looked like she wanted to dispute, so he crossed his arms over his chest and waited. She never did speak. Piper was already grumbling as she ran out the door. Jason's jaw clenched.

"Still think she's worth it, Grace?" Nico snorted, not seeing the point in going after such a used love interest. Piper had far better qualities than he, though. At least she was smart and passionate. Maybe she was worth it, but Jason had it so much better. Nico didn't see why he would go through so much trouble, even for somebody as kind as her.

Nico joined them at the picnic table, relieved to see Silena and Travis Stoll talking animatedly, both without shirts. Hmm, maybe she wasn't getting enough money. He made a mental note set her up more often. She was easily one of the most alluring girls to go through Half-Blood Hill.

As a car rumbled up the path, he felt the familiar double-patterned vibrations in his pocket. If she called, then something was wrong. If it was their unique text tones, then he knew it was safe.

As he listened to Silena comfort Travis about Miranda Gardener turning him down for some upcoming Halloween party, he lit a cigarette, situating himself temporarily on the wood. The car was a compact car, to Nico's displeasure.

This was clearly a newcomer. Nico walked up to the window and raised an eyebrow expectantly. "What'll it be?"

The man's eyes flirted around nervously, always coming back to the pretty picnic table with all the pretty people. It was like a drug, and soon he had stopped even attempting to look at Nico.

"The tan, lean boy," he licked his lips in a way that made Nico's skin crawl. Nico straightened his shoulders and turned around, motioning Leo over with a finger. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted three figures far too close to the table. "Hey, wait, what about the blon-,"

"It'll be two-hundred," Nico deadpanned, too aggravated to deal with this new blonde. He handed over the money begrudgingly. Nico turned his back, eager to see what joke of a 'doctor' Lou and Cecil conjured up for him, but then the man stepped out of the car and grabbed Nico's shoulder hesitantly yet quickly.

In a second flat, Nico had him contorted on the ground, arm pressed on his back while pushing all of his and the man's body weight into the man face-first on the ground.

"Do not touch me, old man," Nico seethed.

"I – I just have a question," he spoke into the ground, words muffled by the dirt coating his tongue. Nico found slight satisfaction in that. He released the man and crossed his arms, waiting. "Uh, so, where?"

"Your car?" Nico spoke with annoyance.

"O-oh. It's just…other places have-,"

"Yeah, well, we're not other places," Nico huffed. He nodded toward the old white screen that was halfway hanging in tattered sentiments. "An extra five and you can go behind there. There's a mattress."

He pulled out a fifty, thanked Nico, which was a first in his time, and ushered Leo across the field. Leo flipped Nico off behind his back.

"Poor Leo," Silena sighed. "That bed is disgusting."

"It's three months old, how can it be that bad?" Conner asked as he attempted snagging one of Nico's cigarettes. Nico kicked his shin and walked past.

"There's more blood and cum on there than in hell's kitchen," Silena retorted with hidden disgust.

Finally, Nico made his way to the trio standing in the shade of the oak tree. Cecil and Lou were bickering in hushed whispers, stealing glances at Nico. Lou motioned to her right and watched as Nico took in the 'doctor.'

Leaning against the tree, he just barely reached Nico's chin. Tan skin met golden-blonde hair that swept over his rugged face. His curly locks attempted to hide his blue eyes, but they gleamed like a deep ocean in the startling rays of sun that seemed to dance around him. He had defined cheekbones, matched only to his tight cheeks and a jaw that could cut through steel. He was thick with lean, cut muscles that were broadcasted for the world to see in his dark washed jeans and a black crop top with the words "Daddy's Boy' written in blue. His skin was as tan as a southern white boy could get, and freckles peeked out on his shoulders and spotted his nose and cheeks.

In a lesser sense, he was a knock out. He made Nico's heart beat painfully in his chest. He made him weak in the knees. It was like he set a fire to his skin just through his eyes. His mouth watered as he checked him out without shame. He made Nico actually physically want somebody for the first time in his life.

And Nico would be damned if he showed it for any longer. He got his composure handled quickly, knowing just how crucial these moments of silence were to spin the right words in the right order to get him to do Nico's every command.

Finally, Nico leaned back and purposefully let everyone see him give the guy a once-over. Instantly, he placed his crossed his arms over his chest and scoffed. "I ask for a doctor and you bring me a boy. Fucking wonderful, Lou. Percy's death is on you."

Nico began to turn away. Cecil stepped in front of him, lip jutted out desperately. "Hear us out."

"You literally have two minutes before Clarisse gets here and-,"

"Two minutes! Got it," Lou beamed unnecessarily. Nico scowled, again looking at the guy now standing straight up.

He was young. He could easily pass for older if he wanted; the bags under his eyes and hollowed cheeks made him look like a young, careless twenty-three year old. His height was nothing unimpressive or impressive. If Nico had to guess, he was, at best, an adorable 5'8". Nico was 6'11".

 _Perfect for kissing._

Nico frowned. Perfect for slamming against the wall and fucking senseless.

As his body responded eagerly to the unfamiliar man, frustration set in. Why couldn't he just ignore his built body? That's what Nico did with everyone else. He once thought if he could ignore Percy's post-fuck hair, he could ignore any guy.

But Nico was so wrong. The guy's blonde curls moved in the breeze, and Nico frowned to mask his utter desire.

"I said a doctor, didn't I?" Nico growled, hands clenched at his sides to avoid moving out to touch his curls. "Not a teenager."

" _You_ are a teenager," Cecil pointed out.

"Barely," he scoffed. "And not a doctor."

"You told him I'm a doctor?" The kid hissed without the usual annoyance Nico would assume would come with that question. He looked up at Nico as blush spread along his cheeks. Nico flexed his arms involuntarily, waiting expectantly. "Look, my dad was a trauma surgeon. He taught me a lot of stuff, but I'm no doctor."

"Oh stop being so modest," Lou jumped behind him and pushed him forward. Nico wanted his name. He needed a name to match his gravelly voice. "He's better than nothing."

"Gee, thanks, bring me a kid who's better nothing. Not what I asked for at all."

Cecil threw his hands up in the air. "Do you really think a regular doctor would come up here and not turn you in?"

Nico grit his teeth. He was stuck. Another text came through his pocket, and for some reason he wanted to move them away from the picnic table. If he had to tell another client that he couldn't have what he wanted, it'd hurt his reputation. So he regarded Will carefully.

"Why are you even here, kid?"

The kid blushed again, but this time Nico managed to ruffle his feathers. "I'm seventeen, not a kid."

"Legally, you are," Nico snorted, enjoying the way his eyes crinkled in a frown. His lips pressed together tersely.

"That doesn't stop you here, does it?" Will asked, nodding his head towards the picnic table. Nico's smug smile dropped, shifting into a glare.

"Stay here long enough and you can find out," he sneered. He could see the superiority in his eyes. He thought he was above all this. It made Nico's blood boil. This was his home, his place. Nobody could just walk in here and think so little of it. He had no clue - no right.

"Nico," Lou Ellen chastised. He turned his glare towards her and she backed down. "Just give him a chance."

Nico clenched his jaw. "You're lucky he's in bad shape. Follow me." When they came into the cabin, Percy was asleep, head still in Annabeth's lap. "Annabeth. Get out there. You're in charge."

She sighed dejectedly and ran her hands down Percy's cheeks before leaving. As she passed Nico, she met his eyes. He got the message. If he didn't get better, she was taking him to the hospital whether it meant turning Nico in or not.

As they gathered around Percy, his eyes fluttered open the same time he shivered. "Got me somebody decent looking this time, Neeks?" Nico's expression hardened. Percy laughed much too cheerily for having been stabbed yesterday. "What's his name?"

Nico shrugged.

"You don't know? Nico, dude."

"I'm Will Solace." He smiled, and Nico felt his knees weaken. Clearing his throat, Nico sat on the coffee table, unsettled with the way this kid's smile lit up the dark interior. "What happened?"

Percy yanked off the covers and smiled proudly. "I fell on a knife!"

Will's eyes moved up to Nico as if to say ' _Seriously_?'

Will unwrapped the wound and cringed. "You need stitches. How long ago did this happen?"

"Last night."

"Good," he said. He inspected the tissue surrounding it before standing again. "I need somebody to go with me to the store. We need to buy stitches, a needle, and antiseptic. I think it'd be best to keep rubbing alcohol handy around here anyways. Do you even clean your...facilities?"

Nico couldn't believe somebody so pretentious was standing this close to him. There must have been something in his expression that made Will realize his mistake because he quickly became a red-faced, rambling idiot. "Oh, gods, that sounds horrible. I didn't...mean it like that. Um, but do you?"

"No. Most go in their cars. And they all use condoms."

Will purses his lips. "Yes, but what about the fluids from your own people."

Percy grimaced. "Normally, there's not much. We don't exactly enjoy it, dude."

"Right," Will said, voice a little higher than before. Ah, finally. Nico found out his weakness. And he planned on exploiting it.

"Alright. Let's go, Solace."

"Go? Go where? Nico, I don't trust you with my friend right now. You've been giving him the death glare since he got here."

"Lou. You're on thin ice. I said let's go. I need him to find it. And I'm not trusting any of you with money."

"Hey! She was the one who set it on fire, not me," Cecil protested. Nico rolled his eyes and wrestled out his keys from his jeans. He shook them in front of Will's face with impatience.

"What? Are you scared?"

"N-no?" he squeaked in question. Percy frowned, head falling into his hands.

"Gods, I'm dead for."

Nico's V-Rod was the one extravagant thing he had in life. It took a year for him to save up for it. Even then, it took half a year to fix it up. Repairs were needed from time to time considering it was from 2001, but it gave him something to do with life. Juniper and Grover always took care of the food and supplies for the cabin. They were the only people he trusted with money, and that was out of necessity. So with them on their honeymoon, the job was left to Nico.

It was obvious from the way Will's jaw dropped and his eyes doubled in size that he wasn't expecting Nico to come out on an old black motorcycle. Will was left a speechless mess for a total of ten glorious seconds. "I am not getting on that death machine!"

Nico waited.

"Seriously, we can-,"

"What? You want to walk there?" The store was eight miles away. Will placed his hands on his hips. "Exactly. Get on."

Nico looked behind him towards the cabin, as if waiting on somebody to save him. That brought Nico too much enjoyment. He really didn't like Nico.

"Fine," he hissed, stepping forward so close Nico could smell his crisp, smooth cologne. He gripped the handles harder. "Uh – how?"

Nico rolled his eyes. "You lift one leg and swing it over. Then, you try not to fall off. Can you guess how?"

Will was seconds from biting his head off. Nico hoped he'd try. "You're an ass." He eventually climbed on, sitting on the very back of the seat. Nico looked over his shoulder with a raised eyebrow.

"Watch out, Solace, your V-card is showing."

Will sputtered his response and hit Nico's shoulder. "Maybe I'm just homophobic."

Nico snorted. "Homophobic my ass, more like homo _phillic_."

Will gasped, hitting his shoulder again. "Oh my gods! That was a smart person joke. You made a science joke. I'm so proud!"

Nico revved the engine, cursing his tongue in his head. "I'll throw you off this thing if you sound so fucking gay again. Now hold on."

They hadn't made it two feet before Will's arms were locked tightly around Nico's waist. He didn't even try to hide the smirk this time; nobody could see it. "It's freezing," Will hissed, making Nico stiffen slightly as they turned on the main road.

"I don't normally give rides to shirtless guys."

"I'm wearing a shirt."

"Which says 'Daddy's Boy.' You really think you could pass as straight for two seconds?" Nico yelled over the wind.

"You're such an ass."

* * *

 **A/N: I'm sick and just out of energy so this is going to be a quick message. I want to thank all of your reviews and feedback. It means so much to me.\\! I'll try to update more, but I need to write more as well. And rn I'm getting tired just typing this short message. So hopefully I'll update within the next week. Feedback always inspires me more than you can ever imagine. Thank you and**

 **WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WILL SO FAR? LIKE OR DISLIKE? WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE MORE OF HIM? bc he is supposed to be pretty true to his character. Nico is somewhat darker and more twisted, but Will should be pretty close to Will. ANywyas, let me know!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything yadayadayadaa**

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"Three percent. Thirty percent. Does it make a difference?" Nico asked from his squatted position on the ground, fumbling between bottles. Will shot him a snooty glare.

"In hydrogen peroxide? Yes! Thirty percent will practically melt your skin off! We need 3!" Nico rolled his eyes and mimicked his overly animated answer. Will hissed with fury. "I can see you."

"That's the point, _Daddy's Boy_ ," Nico muttered.

Nico followed Will around the deserted Walmart

"You know you could stop griping and make this somewhat less insufferable," Will hissed as he loaded another bottle of rubbing alcohol into the basket. Nico blew a hot breath of his nose. "I know your name you know. Nico di Angelo doesn't go by unnoticed in this town."

"Yeah? What is it you've heard about me?" Nico muttered despite not wanting to know a single thing. He pulled Will toward the self-check out before he could grab a second tub of bleach.

Will watched him idly as Nico scanned and payed. He could feel his eyes on him, and he hated the way his cheeks burned. Nico was just starting to enjoy this kid's bright blue gaze when he heard his attention being called...by a different man, this one he disliked more than the boy standing beside him, surprisingly.

"My my, look what I've found. My own special Ghost King," the man cackled loudly, drawing too much attention toward Nico. He was frozen, bag in hand, so close to the exit. Will's mouth was open and ready to answer, but Nico gripped his arm with a death hold before Will could inject himself into the confrontation. They both turned and were met by a tall, scrawny man who had three layers of clothes on, all of which were tattered and coated with mud. "Oh it's been a while, hasn't it?"

The way his voice held the scratchy tone made Nico's skin crawl. Nico grimaced, disgust written plainly on his face. Without thinking about it, he stepped closer to Will. "For good reason." He paused, forcing a sinister smile onto his lips. "Not many people get kicked out of Half-Blood Hill. You should consider that an honor."

"I do," he exposed his three missing teeth. It'd been years since Nico had even uttered the name Thorn, but Nico doubted there was a week he didn't force himself into Nico's mind. "I know you miss me."

Nico didn't respond, trying to make sure he didn't rile Thorn up as much as he would have if he let his true feelings slip. Unfortunately, the man's eyes drifted to Nico's side. Nico could see how they lit up at the sight of Will, not stopping in their voyage across his tanned body.

"Oh, my King, have you moved on? I'm simply...heartbroken," he curled his lips in a way that made Will step back in horror. Nico didn't say a word to how close he got to him. He slipped his arm around his shoulders to ensure his wellbeing at his side. "Delicious choice. If you're so keen to stay off the market... how much for him?"

Nico tightened his grip around Will, who surprisingly had a masterful glare. "Is that Clarisse I hear? I'm sure you've missed her," Nico said sweetly, enjoying the shift from lust to fear in his beady eyes. Thorn stepped back at first chance.

"I'll see you around, Ghost King."

Nico didn't lessen his grip on Will until they reached his V-Rod. Will's hands were shaking, but with anger or fear Nico did not know. "That," Will shuddered, "I heard you did that."

Nico grit his teeth, still not over seeing that man's appearance without warning. He hopped on and revved the engine. "Just get on."

"Nico," Will began, but then he caught the taller one's expression and thought better of it. They were halfway there when he finally brought it up again. "You didn't date him did you?"

Nico almost fell off the bike. He whipped his head around momentarily to growl at the blonde. "Gods, I'm not that ugly."

Will laughed nervously. "Sorry. I just - he sounded like you did. But he also looked like he was on crack, so that explains it." Silence enraptured them. "I - you're not ugly, you know."

"I know," Nico grunted with disproval. He needed to shut up. Everything that came out of his mouth made Nico's body burn with rage. He had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh. Of course you'd know. Duh. You have to be sexy to be a..."

"A what, Will? You can say it," Nico said, voice cracking from the wind.

"I really don't think I can."

And for once, Nico cracked an unstoppable grin. "Gods," Nico laughed as he drove the bike around back. Once he shut off the engine, he turned around with a shit-eating grin, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. "So you think I'm sexy?"

Will's hands shot to his mouth as blood flooded his cheeks. He stood up and then proceeded to fall off the bike, which only sent Nico into more laughter.

"You're too damn innocent," Nico gasped for air, leaning back against the wall. "Fuck, dude."

"I am not," he protested, hiding his freckles momentarily as more blush flooded his tan features. "I've done more than you think."

Nico scoffed. "Like I care." He reached into the side pockets and tossed him the bag. "You're easily flustered. That's the fun part - virgin or not." He winked and left the kid there gaping.

Messing with him was too much fun. It'd been a while since Nico met somebody so pure before. He was like a pet. Mostly, they just got in the way, but they also brought so much amusement in odd times.

Nico checked in on Percy and watched as Will went to work. He was displeased with the way they had removed it. "Jerking it out can cause more damage. Your skin is _so_ frayed."

Nico left after that. Somehow, he knew Percy would be fine. Will did seem like he knew what he was doing, to Nico's annoyance. And even after Percy was all healed and stitched up, Will continued to hang out. Cecil and Lou also stayed, but that was different. They'd been around far longer. So he remained outside the cabin for most of the day.

Silena, Piper, and Jason sat beside him on the picnic table. "Leo's been popular today," Jason noted. "Ever think about raising your rates for their third go?"

Nico leaned back, eyeing the car with said person in it. He was almost using up all his time, which didn't happen often. Normally they stayed for an hour and a half and left. "No."

Jason shrugged. "It would entice clients to come sooner, which would mean either more clients or finishing earlier."

Piper nodded. "It'd be nice to leave before 3 somedays." She had a chemistry book in her lap - Jason's idea.

"There's no way to prove to them that they've already gone."

Silena, who was watching the way Jason whispered helping hints into Piper's ear, answered. "Then go by the hour. Up the rate past 7. Up them again past 11."

Nico frowned. Silena sighed wistfully, and he noticed how her eyes kept shooting furtive glances toward Piper and Jason. They were just playing a simple game of thumb-war, both laughing. There was a time that it might have made Nico feel the same, but he knew that was out of the question for him. Too many things could go wrong. Too many things would scare a guy off. Besides, it wasn't like he'd ever met a guy he could stand to be in a genuine relationship with. Percy was a dumb exception, and if given the chance now, Nico would most definitely turn him down. Also, he was straight, but that was besides the point.

Nico nudged Silena. "Your hair is different."

She blushed and nodded, smiling at the ground. "Yeah. I wanted to mix it up a little." She had long, dark black hair originally, but today it seemed shorter and curled alluringly. The biggest difference were her bangs. He never imagined Silena with bangs before. They almost hid her eyes, but he supposed they framed her face well. Nothing could make Silena unappealing.

"It looks good," Nico commented. He had a soft spot for Silena Beauregard. She was the newest one there, and she didn't have many friends. Everyone here instantly loved her, of course, but even so, she wasn't very close with anyone in particular. "Did your mom do it?"

Her mother was in an abusive relationship. She used to scrape by with being a hairstylist. Two months ago, she married a man who became the definition of abusive. Silena came to him through Clarisse, who was slowly watching her starve day by day at school. Even a month in, Nico wondered if she was going to crack. The others tried befriending her, but so far she only truly opened up to Clarisse and Nico. Nico was out of necessity.

"Yeah. We have new neighbors." She said, lips pursing nervously. "She thinks there's a boy my age. I told her it was pointless. He'll find out about...this sooner or later."

Nico scoffed. "He won't care. You'll draw him in with your beauty, sure, but when he gets to know you? Nothing will drive him away."

Again, she blushed. "And what about my family?"

Nico tensed. "If he's right for you, he won't be scared. If anything, he'll...he'll want to help. You don't have to let him, but he'll want to."

Silena displayed a tight smile, one that was better than before but still wasn't what it was when she first came here. She giggled teasingly, "If only you were straight."

Everyone at the table burst into laughter. "That's a thought," Jason chortled. "And I've only known him for two days."

Their laughter was heavy and thick, yet totally, completely dying. It'd been a while since they'd had a group laugh like that. And the car rumbling up the hill reminded them all why. Instantly, the laughter ceased and Nico was walking up to the window.

They had no room for laughter in their world.

./\\./\\.

It was Day 7 of Will Solace coming around. Day 2 and 3 were Nico's fault; he'd mentioned that a few of them had a cough. Day 4 through 6 he showed up for no reason. Nico didn't say anything to him, mainly because he and Silena got along so well. He actually saw her smiling most of the time. She mentioned he was good with boy advice. Nico didn't know _how,_ but apparently he was.

Will took his time checking Percy's wound. It had gotten infected a day after the incident. Nico hadn't checked to see the progress; he'd taken Will's word that it was getting better. So when Will showed up that evening, backpack in hand, doctor's bag in the other, Nico was surprised to hear the good news.

"Took long enough.. Percy's going to be doing four guys a night for a week to make up for all the requests."

"You could have placated them with a discount," Will informed. Nico scoffed.

"You don't do discounts when you're the only business in town, Solace. It's called a monopoly for a reason."

Will disappeared for half an hour inside the building. When he came back, he took a seat on the picnic table. Something about him sitting there irked Nico. Maybe it was because he and Nico were the only ones there while Annabeth helped Percy outside. Maybe it was because he constantly had to decline clients of their desires, and therefore loyalty. Maybe it was because he was just annoying..

The next day, he did the same thing. He did clear Percy for basic activity, which was good news until Will informed Nico that sex was not basic. "Learn a thing or two about bottoming, Solace. You don't do any of the work!"

His tiny hands rested firmly on his hips. Nico knew he got on Will's nerves most of the time. It was...enjoyable, to say the least. "I'm not an idiot. These guys aren't exactly gentle with you all." Nico glared, which normally turned his victim into a pile of mush. All it did to Will was make him blush! "Don't shoot the messenger, di Angelo."

Nico strode forward until he was nearly chest to chest with Will.

"The messenger is taking our best bottom out for over two weeks now. I'm about to strangle the messenger," he muttered under his breath, shoving himself out of the door.. Like the dog he was, Will followed him.

"That's a little too kinky for me, Nico."

Nico stopped dead in his tracks, hands at the ready. "Oh my gods, Solace! You're just asking for it at this point! Don't you have any sense of self-preservation? For fuck's-,"

"Will! Somebody get that blonde idiot! Annabeth's out cold." Nico's anger switched directions. He glanced at Will with aggravation.

"Let's go, Sunshine," Nico gripped Will's collar and yanked him toward the sound of Clarisse's voice. The boys found her behind the old, giant screen.

"I don't get paid enough for this," Will gaped. Nico's frustration grew.

"You don't get paid at all," Nico reminded him half-heartedly.

"I know. That's my point."

He fixed another glare towards the blonde boy. "Really? You're talking money at a time like this?"

"Well, I'm just saying," Will muttered as he stepped closer to the two girls.

"The girl is hanging upside down, Will!"

Clarisse had her hands around Annabeth's shoulders, hoisting her inverted body upward. She looked between the two bickering boys before shouting, "Oi! Stop flirting and get Annie down!"

Nico felt his entire face burst into flames. Immediately, Will started undoing the rope around her feet while Nico and Clarisse lifted her into the air. Annabeth's face was blood-red. She was out cold and only in her underwear.

Between Nico and Clarisse both barking orders at each other, everyone at camp quickly heard the commotion and came to check it out.

When Will finally got Annabeth down on the ground, propping her head against the tree she'd previously been dangling like dead meat from, he met eyes with everyone standing there. "Nobody tell Percy. Not one word."

Nobody protested.

"I need ice and smelling salt...or Leo's socks. Somebody get her some clothes and a blanket. Does anyone know how long she's been out here? It's freezing!"

Everyone stood stock still. Nico felt his anger rising once more. "Hello? He's speaking to you bumbling fools! Get moving! Get whatever he needs," Nico shouted, and like slaps to their faces, they sprinted off. Will raised his almost-brown eyebrows. Nico turned his head away.

"Is she going to be okay?" Nico grunted, staring into her red cheeks. Will blew out a breath of air and shrugged. "How did this even happen?"

With crossed arms, Clarisse kicked at the ground. "I hadn't seen Annabeth in a while, and nobody else was working, so I asked Percy, but he hadn't seen her either. This was the only place you can't see straight up."

Nico pieced the puzzle together as his blood began to boil inside his body. It took all his power not to punch the ground. "She took a guy here two hours ago. Fuck, I didn't know he left."

Leo was back with two bags of ice. "Why would he leave?" Will carefully placed the ice on her head, checking her pulse here and there. "She was bound, gagged, and flipped upside down. Is that even a thing?"

Nico's hands were shaking. "No. This guy was a masochist. Maybe he thought he was going to get caught. Maybe he freaked out when she lost consciousness. Either way, I'm tracking him down. Somebody get Thalia and Zoë up here."

It took Annabeth thirty minutes to wake up. By that time, she was resting beside Percy, whom they had to restrain to keep from getting up and murdering the guy himself. When the Thalia walked through the door, the first thing she did was run to Annabeth, pulling the weak girl onto her lap despite Will's furious protest. Her fury was palpable. Even Nico took a step back from the girl with hair blacker than his soul. Despite having Annabeth in her arms, she welded a deadly sword in one hand that manifested an urge in everyone to take her on. Her sword very rarely lost.

"Hey! Hey, goth girl, she needs to breath, you know!" Nico's pulse raced as Will shouted orders for Thalia to put her down. Never had anyone spoken so curtly to Thalia Grace.

Once assured Annabeth was fine and breathing, her electric eyes turned onto the heated blonde. His words slowly ebbed away, but his fists were still clenched.

"She needs rest," he repeated.

A frown formed. "Who are you?"

"He's our new medic," Percy answered

Nico stiffened. Such a title deserved a steady pay, which Will wasn't getting. However, Will didn't say a word. "Will Solace. I'm assuming you're the 'Terrifying Thalia Grace.' I don't care. You have to be careful around injured people. You almost knocked Percy off, which I'm pretty sure you did on purpose, and opened up his wound a-ah! Oh my gods, what is wrong with you?"

Percy was now on the floor, rubbing at his head. He chuckled. "It's the way our friendship works, dude. No worries."

Nico had to admit Thalia could be amusing at times. The surprise of Thalia's behavior visible on Will's face was a combination of adorable and hilarious. Why was somebody so pure in their presence? It created too much joy, which put Nico on unease. Too much joy meant extra suffering in the future.

"Yeah but-," Will halted his speech, and Nico soon found out why. Thalia was up. Her warpath led straight to where Nico leaned against the wall.

"What the hell kind of place are you running here, di Angelo?" Her words cut through him like ice. Nico clenched his jaw, not trusting himself to speak. "Luke _never_ would have let this happen."

His heart stopped cold. She was right, and he knew if. Luke ran a tighter ship. Luke knew the in's and out's of this business. He didn't let things slip through his grasp.

Nico had known for a while he wasn't as good as Luke. He worked his ass off to be like him. He slaved away until dawn each night making sure everyone was happy and taken care of. And it was all for nothing.

"Luke is dead _for a reason_."

Thalia took a millisecond to process his words before her fist connected with Nico's face. He saw the right hook coming and didn't block it because he knew he deserved this. Annabeth was hurt because of him, because he didn't keep track of his people. And they were his people, all the way until they left the state.

When he stood, his vision was spotty in his left eye. Nico blinked away watery tears. His eye pulsed. He forced his other eye open and looked at her without anger or pity. She surveyed her work and nodded.

"You got your revenge. Find him and let me have mine," Nico growled, pushing himself to his feet. Thalia straightened her shoulders and nodded.

"And ours," Percy hissed. He had his arms around Annabeth, cradling her as she dozed off wearily. She was fighting to stay awake, to be in the known. "She'll want in."

Nico sighed. "Fine, but that's it. I assure you, there will be maximum damage."

"Wonderful. Now can everyone get out so she can sleep?" Will whisper-yelled. Clarisse leaded everyone back outside, and Nico was headed that way as well before he heard the distinct sound of an annoying blonde.

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 **A/N: I'M ALIVE! Thank you guys for the well wishes. Turns out, I did have strep throat *fist pumps bc I was right ha take that mOm* Anywaysss, it just goes to show. There was a review an hour ago that complimented the chapter and asked for another. So every review counts bc it reminded me to freaking update!**

 **It was a lil short, but once again, thoughts on Will? I love Will in this. I also love hot tall Nico bc every once in a while we all need a hot tall nico, right? right.**

 **Opinions?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

 **A/N: Merry Christmas, here's your gift! I hope everyone's doing well and enjoying the holiday season. Without further ado...meet Hazel.**

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"Hey! Death Boy!" Nico paused. "Yes, Nico, you."

"Don't call me Death Boy," he hissed. Will walked in front of him and gave him a once over. It was for medical purposes, but the blonde's cheeks flared red anyways. He simply placed his hands on his hips and _hmphed._ "What now, Solace?"

"Let me look at your eye."

Nico tried rolling his eyes, but stabs of fire seemed to spread from his swollen one. "Could you stop acting like a doctor for two seconds? I have bigger problems than letting you play pretend."

Will glanced over Nico's shoulder before tugging him out the door. He was clearly heated from his crossed arms to his insulted frown. "Have I been wrong yet?"

Nico scoffed. "You're not exactly performing surgeries out here."

Will's glare deepened. If Nico weren't so angry at the runaway client, he'd find angry Will somewhat intriguing. Not many people had the guts to show anger directed strictly at him. So far, only Thalia ever had, and it was rare.

"You think I know nothing then?"

Nico again wanted to roll his eyes. Before he could speak another word, Will stepped forward, close enough that Nico could smell his breath. It was minty and fresh and damn near intoxicating. He'd never felt a stronger urge to kiss someone before.

His fingers ghosted along his eye. "You could have an orbital fracture, which would send you to the hospital. Of course, you wouldn't go and would end up blind if a bone fragment punctured your eye. Or you have so much swelling it's cause pressure behind the eye, again blinding you, though there could be a chance that would be temporary. Probably not. Need I go on?"

Nico didn't know how true his words were. He also didn't understand a few of them, which only further pissed him off. He did, unfortunately, understand the word blind. "Whatever. Make it quick."

Will placed Nico on the counter while he rambled around the kitchen finding items of use. In seconds, he'd felt around his sore but unbroken bones and said he was good for now. Then, he produced a bag of ice and held it against his throbbing eye despite Nico insisting he could do it himself.

"The moment I leave, you'll drop the bag to look more macho. I'm holding it. Doctor's orders."

Nico looked at him with his visible eye, taking note of the firmness in his voice. "Is that what you want to be?"

Will's lips twitched. "Maybe. Or a paramedic." Nico raised an eyebrow. Will purses his lips. "My dad was a paramedic. He was amazing. He could fix anything in seconds with just household objects. He saved so many lives, too."

"What happened to him?" Nico grunted as Will's hands pressed into his upper thighs. His delicate hands ran along Nico's inner eye and healthy eye. Nico didn't know for what reason, but the sensation was too relaxing to stop. Will paused, and then he pressed a little too firmly against Nico's eye. "Ah, fuck, Will!"

Will was laughing quietly before him. "I didn't know you were aware of my first name."

The heat from Nico's glare made Will's cheeks turn red. "Clumsy idiot," Nico shiver off the counter, but Will moved slowly, and for 5 short seconds, they stood together, chest to chest. Nico frowned with curiosity down at the blonde. He quickly scrambled back, but there was no way Nico would forget the feel of Will's chest moving against his own.

"W-wait," Will scrambled after him. Nico groaned as he pushed open the door. He'd give anything to get the blonde away from him. Or just to get him to shut up. He was fine to look at, just annoying to hear.

When Nico saw who was standing outside of the cabin, however, he would have suffered hours of torturous conversations with Will to keep from having to see _her_.

"Hello Nico," her smooth voice sounded as rich and pristine as her life. "I've missed you." His eyes bounced to her bountiful curls that were free and wild today. She had a peaceful, easy going smile, as if she were oblivious to where she was standing. She wasn't, though. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't hide the stress lines around her eyes or the way every couple of seconds she glanced around the room, as if checking to make sure an old man didn't come out and grab her.

"What are you doing here?"

Her shoulders dropped momentarily before she remembered to bring them up. "Can't I check in on my favorite person?" Will pushed past Nico and looked at him with raised eyebrows. He ignored him.

"You never have before."

"Because you never let me.."

"You shouldn't be here, Hazel." Nico repeated the words he said every time she knocked on the cabin doors. "It's not safe."

Hazel pursed her glossy lips. "You never come into town."

Nico snorted. "Because if I do, half of the men would be shoving over the other to get their wives and families away from me. The other half want to know why I stopped. Do I need a better reason?"

Hazel frowned. He remembered the second time he met her. She was frowning at him, as if he were a baby throwing food at people. She still had love in her eyes then, despite his actions. Nico was much worse than throwing food, and whenever his job came up, that same frown appeared. Her eyes rounded out more than ever, and it hurt Nico's heart. She should have felt shame for him, not pity. She should have been angry, not concerned.

"We need to talk."

Nico crosses his arms over his chest. "Then talk."

Hazel placed her hands on her hips. "I will not tolerate your attitude today, Nico. You owe me more than cynical comments. And an introduction." She turned to Will. "Hello, I'm Hazel Levesque. Are you new here?"

Will opened his mouth to respond, but a car's rumbling engine cut him off. Nico cursed under his breath and dragged the two behind the cabin, careful to keep away from the nearby car Piper and some guy were in.

"He doesn't work here."

Will flashed a cheeky smile. "But I'm trying to."

Nico's eyes narrowed at Will. "Gods, shut up. It's not going to happen."

"It seems like you need a new medic! I mean, STD's alone..."

"We have a mandatory condom policy!"

Will placed his hands on his hips now, too. "Even with oral?"

Dammit. "It's not happening, okay? We don't want you here!"

Will smirked, and Nico hated the things it did to his stomach. "But you do need me."

"A-no! Can't you take a hint? Leave."

"Nico di Angelo! I thought I taught you better. There's no need to yell at him." Hazel chastised. Nico wanted to continue screaming at the annoying blonde, but he knew Hazel would just continue to berate him. He clenched his jaw and looked away from both of them. Why did stubborn, bratty people keep flooding into his life? "So...you're a medic?"

"Sort of. My dad trained me when I was younger, and I've been taking classes at the local university. I'm the best they're going to get."

Hazel looked expectantly at Nico. "What?"

"You know what. I've been telling you for months that having a doctor nearby is only humane. You're supposed to look after your people. I think basic medical care is part of that?"

He glared darkly at Hazel. "Let me do my job and you do yours."

She straightened her shoulders. "Fine. I'm here on behalf of Frank."

Nico felt his body go numb. There was pain lacing through his veins, but he couldn't find the injury. He didn't trust himself to speak.

Hazel glanced at Will, obviously wanting him to leave. Nico waited, curious to see if she'd speak up for the first time in her life. "It's about the case."

Her eyes again shot towards Will. "Frank wouldn't ask for your help if he didn't need it, Nico, but there's so little evidence. Nobody will believe what you said about your father."

With wide eyes, Will stepped back. "I'll just be -,"

Nico's hand locked on his arm, squeezing it tight enough to leave marks. If Nico could have breathed normally, he would have taken his hand away, but it had a mind of its own.

"Will you please go back? You don't even have to go in the house. They just need your consent now that you've been deemed the owner."

Nico finally go air into his lungs. Hazel's voice wavered. "It's going to go into foreclosure in months anyway, but he needs it now or they're going to close the case.

"Wait, are you talking about his house?" Will asked. "Nico, I thought you were _making_ money from this."

Hazel gulped, looking at Nico unsurely before continuing. "He is. Please, Nico. Your dad has been gon-,"

"Let it rot. I'm not going near there." Hazel squeaked in sadness and began to speak, but Nico stepped forward. "And you know that."

Still gripping Will's wrist, Nico shoved past Hazel. "Nico," she called. He growled under his breath. His mind was in a blur. Image after image hit him with the force of a hurricane. The only thing he saw was his bike, so that's where he headed. Releasing Will, he hopped on and revved the engine. "Nico. Nico, come back!"

He looked over his shoulder, ignoring Hazel running towards them. "You coming?"

Will shook his head.

"Whatever."

"Can I?"

Nico gripped the handles. He was surprised when he said, "I wouldn't have asked if you couldn't."

Will got on. They were out of there in seconds. He could hear Clarisse shouting insults at him for abandoning his job, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything right now, and he didn't like it. They quickly got on the main road where Nico went way above the speed limit. It used to make him feel more alive. Now, all it did was make him grip the handles harder.

Will's hands readjusted over Nico's stomach, tightening as they sped up. "Are you okay? This is really, really fast." He could barely be heard over the wind.

Nico didn't answer.

"Do you want to go somewhere? We can go somewhere."

"Where?" Nico growled.

"Uh, we could go to your place. I actually – don't know where you live. Do you – do you have a place to live, Nico?" Will faltered as he realized Nico obviously didn't feel like answering personal questions. "Um, never mind. We can go somewhere else."

"Where?"

"What?"

He whipped his head around. " _Where_?"

Will screamed and Nico barely straightened up in their lane as a car passed them on the opposite side. Nico's breath sped up. They continued to ride for three more minutes before Will instructed, "Take a right."

They hit the main highway, and then Nico found himself deep downtown. As they got deeper in the poorer parts, Will's grip got tighter. Finally, he told Nico to turn right, left, and right again. "We're here."

Nico surveyed the area. Every house had a chain link fence around it, with practically no yard and no reason for a fence aside from keeping the people currently passed out in their yards away from another yard. The houses were run down with chipped paint and broken windows. People strolled around on the streets with torn clothes and no will to live. There were a few kids riding bikes, which was a rare sight these days.

Nico looked at Will. He hadn't expected this. He'd never imagined where Will lived before, but it certainly wasn't this. Maybe he was joking. Maybe he just wanted to see Nico's reaction...

But the he pushed open the gate in front of them and walked inside. Nico followed after. When they stepped into the kitchen, the first thing he noticed was the smell. It was pungent, truly. He'd never smelled a moldier house than this. It was a miracle the smell never attached to Will himself.

"I know. It's not as bad in my room." Will sighed, scrunching his nose distastefully as if by second nature. They almost made it to the stairs, but then a voice called out.

"W-ill? Will, baby, is that you?" The woman's voice was raspy yet came out smooth, as if she'd once been a singer but her vocal cords had gotten tangled in the smoky haze of cigarettes. As if being pulled by the ear, Will forced himself around the corner of the staircase, and Nico followed. Three men and two women were lounging around the cramped living room. Nico could feel their body heat radiating from one another. Their breaths became one putrid scent that told him nobody owned a toothbrush. His tongue became dry and tasted like sandpaper.

One woman stood up and almost immediately face-planted over the coffee table. Arms outstretched, she fell into Will with too large of a smile. Nico had seen that smile before. His eyes scanned her arms and chest. Red hives dotted her skin, and she had a rash on her arms that she kept scratching at. Her hair was frizzled and fried beyond belief. It was once a lush brown, but not it appeared to be crisp version of burgundy. She was too skinny, her cheeks sunken in and eyes holding dark rings underneath. The way with which she moved towards Will made Nico's skin crawl.

"Oh my goshhhe," she gasped, holding a slight southern accent, something that Nico could now vaguely hear in Will's words as well, though he did his best to mask it. This woman also added a thicker accent in for some reason. "Doesn't he look just like his daddy? Shoooot." Her hands ran all over Will's face. Nico crossed his arms, uncomfortable with the way his heart rate was rising.

Will finally jerked his head away. Nico didn't miss the way he gently pressed the woman's hands back to her side, as if he was scared of hurting her. "Mom, this is Nico. Nico, this is my mother, Naomi." Will's eyes flew around the room.

On the couch and recliner were three other similar people with tattered clothes that were two sizes too large and shaking hands. Their eyelids were half shut, and nobody seemed to question the two newcomers' presence.

"I thought we said no more-,"

Naomi's mouth formed an 'O.' "Oh, oh no, Will baby, th-that's not mine. No more heroin. Nope. No more. It's not mine. They just needed a place to stay. Safer here than on the streets, don't ya think?"

Will glanced over his shoulder towards Nico, who pretended not to notice. Instead, Nico bent down and inspected the objects on the table. He noticed a few different types of drugs, none of which were heroin, until the lady smacked his face away. "He. Sexy man like you's gotta pay to get some of this."

Nico wasn't sure if she was gesturing to her bony body or her stash of drugs. Either way, he grimaced and straightened up. "There's no heroin here, Will."

Will seemed somewhat relieved of that. "Then what are you high on, Mom?"

"Wha-? I – I'm not, Willy, darling," Naomi began, hands quaking as she clutched Will's head. Will tore himself away and sighed. He grabbed an empty container off the ground.

"Your pupils are dilated and your arms are still bleeding." Will frowned at the needles lying on the ground.

Nico took a look around and said, "Elephant tranquilizer?"

The man nearest Nico gasped. "How'd you guess?"

"They're all out of it," Nico continued, looking at Will for the next step. He was annoyed, like this wasn't supposed to happen, yet it happened far too often. He looked at Nico and darted his eyes towards his room.

"Where'reyou guys going?" Naomi trailed the two boys as they made their way to the stairs. Will huffed in exasperation. He reached the stairs and stood on the first one, truly towering over his mother.

"My room. Upstairs is off limits, remember?" Naomi took a few seconds to comprehend what he said, and even when she did, she just stood there blinking and half nodding. Will pressed the door shut and spun around, eyes on Nico.

"Sorry."

Nico raised an eyebrow. "Not what I expected from you, I'll give you that." Will rubbed his temples with closed eyes and snorted. "But I'm a pimp. Obviously, I've seen worse."

Will lifted his eyes to Nico's with wonder. "You've never actually called yourself that before."

Biting his lip, Nico turned his back and walked upstairs. "Yeah, well." He didn't have anything else to say.

Will was right. The stench of mold was replaced with an open window containing a crisp, cool breeze. His room would have been spacious if not for the thick books strewn all over the floor. Nico picked his way around the room. All of the trophies and awards were from when he was very young. They were for various sports and science fairs. He came to a picture of a blonde little seven-year-old. He held a huge trophy with an atom molecule over his head like it was the proudest moment of his life. There were two teeth missing, and his glasses were askew. Nico snorted, glancing over his shoulder at Will who lied on the bed with his eyes on him. "Cute."

Will raised an eyebrow. "I know what you are, but what am I?"

Nico's face split into a shit-eating grin. "Wow. Look at you. Maybe you do have some game after all."

"What can I say? I'm just irresistible."

Smirking, Nico moved toward the bed. Will's head was propped on a pillow, so Nico pressed a hand on the headboard and leaned over. Will shrank into the bed the closer Nico got until finally, they were so close Nico could count each freckle splayed across Will's cheeks and nose.

" _You_ 're irresistible?"

Will visibly gulped, his head sort of nodding like he was unsure of the answer. Nico's smirk turned into a full-on grin. There was something about Will that made him do and feel things he hadn't felt in a while, things he shouldn't have been feeling. But like he said, he was irresistible.

As he leaned even closer to Will, something caught his eye that made him stop all thoughts and actions. To his left was a picture of _two_ familiar people. It was like the wind got knocked out of his lungs. Nico straightened and grabbed the picture, eyes boring into the two figures.

He fell beside Will and studied the picture intently. He wanted to be sure of who it was.

The picture portrayed two people. The blonde kid, who couldn't have been anyone other than Will, had the same missing teeth and shaggy, long hair. With a wide smile and hands in the air, he sat on the shoulders of a man with the same blonde hair and blue eyes. The man had a warm smile and was looking up at the child on his shoulders. If it hadn't been for the paramedic uniform he wore, Nico might not have recognized him easily enough to stop.

"Who's this?" Nico whispered, though he had a good guess. Will had been watching him curiously.

Will crawled over Nico's stomach to see the picture, and it ended up with him just lying there, gazing at the picture. "It's my dad. He was a -,"

"Paramedic. I know. I – I knew him."

* * *

 **A/N: SO sorry for the long wait! I hope it was worth it? We're finally getting to the good stuff. Who likes Will's background? I'm just so sick of everyone painting a perfect family for him. NO. He has struggles and he has depth so pls. And how exactly does Nico know Will's dad? ? ﾟﾘﾱ** **Stay tuned for more in who knows how long...but I'll update in two days (bc last min editing) if we can get 7 reviews on this in one day!**

 **Happy holidays!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **A/N: Whewwww depression's a bitch, ain't it?**

* * *

Nico continued looking at the picture. His mind had a few missing links. That night was such a blur to him. There had never been a reason to remember that night. In fact, every action he'd done since then had been an attempt to forget that night.

"How?" Will whispered, his chin resting on Nico's chest. When he spoke, Nico could feel the vibrations on his skin.

Nico cleared his throat, dropping the picture. His eyes moved to the ceiling as he tried to form an answer. "When I was thirteen," Nico mumbled with distaste, "I think I met him. My dad, Hades, uh," Nico didn't know where he was going with this because suddenly his throat felt like it was made of lead. Will's blue eyes seemed to pierce his soul. "Just…a lot of shit happened that night. When the police finally arrived, he was the only person that could get me to talk. He even mentioned he had a son the same age as me. I can't believe I didn't piece it together sooner. Gods, you look just like him."

It wasn't often that Will frowned, but he did now as he sat up and pressed his elbows carefully against Nico's chest. He hated to admit that he missed Will's heat against his stomach.

"What was that, six years ago?" Will asked, and Nico confirmed it with a nod. His frown grew deeper. "Six years ago my dad got a promotion. He worked in homicide." Nico watched as he worked out the puzzle.

"Yeah," he grunted.

"Who died?"

Nico pursed his lips. "My mother and sister."

"Did they find out who did it?"

Nico snorted. "Nope," he popped the 'P' and looked away. "They were part of the serial killings, or that's what they said. But they're wrong. I saw who did it."

At his last sentence, Will practically jumped off the bed. His elbows dug deep into Nico's stomach, causing him to groan. "Sorry, but wait, what? You saw the Half-Blood killer?"

Nico ran his hand through Will's golden curls and pushed his head back down, relieving some of the pressure on his stomach. It failed because two seconds later Will was back in the same position. "No. It wasn't the Half-Blood Killer."

That news disappointed Will oddly enough. He scooted further up Nico's chest. "Oh. Who did you see, then?"

Nico squinted his eyes but refused to look away from Will this time. "My dad."

It was like watching Will come down with an illness the way his face fell. His left hand pressed into Nico's arm as he said, "Oh, Nico. That's…terrible." Nico jerked his head in a nod. Terrible didn't begin to describe his father. "So that's why Hazel wanted your help. They think it was the Half-Blood Killer…" He seemed to be lost in thought for a minute or two.

Nico took that opportunity to look over his face again. It seemed like no matter how many times he looked at Will, he could not memorize his face. Nico couldn't really remember the last time he'd been with somebody with such warm features. From Will's round blue eyes to his shaped jaw line to even his round, button-like nose, it seemed like he was an easy-going hot college guy. It was amazing he was so innocent. If not for the seemingly constant blush on his rosy cheeks, Nico could have picked him out to be some straight fuck boy. Instead, he was the total opposite. He cared more than he should, he was so incredibly smart without manipulating people, and he was as far from straight as anyone got.

"What?" Will asked, his distinct brown eyebrows drawing in. Nico shook his head, biting his lip to keep from licking them. Will put the picture down and exhaled. He looked back to Nico and spoke. "Um, my dad was killed by the Half-Blood Killer not long after he joined homicide."

It was like a pit had formed in his stomach, and Will was dangling from the side of it. Will Solace was too pure to have been subjected to a serial killing. Before, Nico would have bet his own life that Will lived in a perfect, happy family. It hurt Nico's heart. Without thinking about it, Nico brushed blonde hair from Will's eyes and was slow about pulling his hand away.

"I'm so sorry," Nico whispered, the foreign words nearly burning his tongue. "Will…were you – did he-?"

Will's eyes grew wide, and he scooted upward with a hand to Nico's chest. "Oh, gods no. No, he didn't rape me."

"Fuck," Nico breathed, eyes closing for a beat too long. His pulse was racing, yet he was unsure whether it was due to the relief or Will's hand on his skin. "Watch the way you present things, dude." He shook his head. "How? The Half-Blood Killer targeted families. Didn't he always rape the boys and kill the rest of the family members?"

Will nodded. "Dad said it was all centered around the boy. He was always last to die. He was the only one with overkill, which meant he was the only one the killer had a personal relationship with, whether it was real or imagined. The only reason the families were all killed as well was because he'd remove anything that got in his way. Of course, he enjoyed it to a degree, so he'd still take a lock of their hair. Anyways, do you remember the time they got really close to catching him?"

"No. I didn't exactly pay attention to the news after I left home," Nico explained.

"Well, five years ago, they got called in for another murder. There were only four policemen and two medics, but they could hear a girl screaming somewhere in the house. So they went in, and my dad broke away from the police to help the girl who was bleeding out. And when the Half-Blood Killer was escaping…he ran into my dad. He didn't even have a chance to fight back before he shot him. Right between the eyes."

Nico watched Will's face as retold the story. "I read the police report," Will seemed to explain, blush flooding his cheeks as if Nico would be the one to turn him in. "But yeah, I've been following the case ever since."

"I'm sorry, Will."

Will tilted his head and forced a smile onto his lips. "You don't need to apologize. I have a feeling you've gone through more than me."

"No," Nico sat up a bit, and at that point their faces were only inches apart. Will's scent washed over him. It'd been so long since he'd been this close to anyone this young, let alone anyone with such a good scent. He smelled mostly of a musky beach, with a lingering scent of cologne that made Nico's mouth dry. Just looking at his face knowing there was depth underneath his easily handsome features tore at Nico's conscience, something he was unsure he ever had before now. "I'm sorry for being sort of a dick to you earlier. You're not what I expected."

Will grew a half smile, as if that were the biggest compliment he'd ever been given. "I'm sure I used to be what you expected. I was the most naïve, normal little boy you'd ever met." Nico snorted, and he was surprised to feel a smile on his lips. It was real and genuine and unfamiliar. "But thanks, Nico. It really means a lot."

"Does that mean you agree? I was being a dick before?"

Will giggled and bit his lip as his eyes looked Nico over. Gods, how long had it been that he'd felt innocent eyes run over his form for less than perverted intentions? "Yeah, you were. But it was pretty hot, sooo…"

Nico smirked, enjoying the way red flooded into Will's cheeks. "You're so damn innocent!" Nico seethed with a thrill. "Gods, it's addictive. Have you even had sex before?"

Face growing redder by the second, Will's eyes jumped all around Nico's face to avoid eye contact. "Yes. I mean…like twice. I still don't know if I'd count it, though."

The joy Nico got from that news was probably equated to stealing candy from a baby. It was wrong, but the candy was soooo good. "That bad?"

Will laughed as he nodded. "I mean. Girls say their first times are bad, but there's only so much that can go wrong with them. For us…well, I'm sure you can imagine."

"Fuck, Solace," Nico chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair. "At least tell me you've gotten decent head."

Will thought for a moment. "It was okay, I suppose. Actually, can I ask you a question about that?"

Nico felt his skin crinkle by the corners of his eyes because he was fucking grinning. It felt so strange to be enjoying a conversation so much. "Please, I cannot wait to hear this."

"How do you make it good? Like, I know how to not be bad, but how do you make it good?"

Nico threw his head back with silent laughter. "Oh my fuck, Will, you're adorable." Will's laughter radiated off the walls. His eyes were alight and curious, staring intently into Nico's. "Nobody focuses enough on the head. Start with it, take breaks and just tease it. Whatever you do, don't forget the head, okay? It's like heaven. Also, don't be afraid to handle the balls. And if you don't gag once or twice or five times, you're doing it wrong."

Will jerked his head back slightly. "Wow. You really have it down."

Nico rolled his eyes. "When you gave one once a day for three years, you get good fast."

Will's smile faded slowly. "You'll make some man very happy one day."

And like that, the overall goodness of this conversation ended. It shattered on the ground like broken glass windows. Nico fought to not glare as he muttered, "Yeah right. Guys like me don't get happy endings at the altar."

Will's eyes were fighting to keep up with Nico's mood, and he did a damn good job. "I wouldn't count you out."

Nico sighed loudly, his short temper running out of its fuse. "Nobody pays for something that's essentially free."

"That's what I was going to tell you," Will whispered as he moved closer to Nico, who was two words away from throwing him off the bed completely. "Why pay money for sex with you when it could be free plus even more benefits?"

Nico cocked his head to the side. "You really don't get me, do you, Sunshine?"

Will smirked with rare confidence. "About as much as you get me, di Angelo," he rolled his name off his tongue like it was a desperate plea.

And that was it. All restraints Nico had built up over the years broke with the force of the Hoover Dam collapsing. He'd been fighting his urges for far too long, and Will had been throwing himself at him for even longer.

"Fuck it," Nico growled.

He pushed off the bed and rolled over top of Will, one hand gripping in his hair, the other on the blonde's bicep. Without waiting a second longer, Nico slammed his lips onto Will's. He kissed him like his life depended on it. Years of unshed sexual satisfaction all cascaded onto a completely and utterly unprepared Will.

Nico felt him finally realize what was happening. It was like watching a baby take his first steps. Initially, he was hesitant, but Nico demanded more than a timid kiss.

Will's tongue slid along Nico's bottom lip in a way that stirred the ashes in the pit of Nico's stomach. When one of his hands ran down his back and squeezed his bottom, the ashes burst to flames, something Nico had long since missed. Their tongues collided hungrily, both desperate to memorize even the mere taste of each other. Weeks of unending tension that built and built until it reached a tipping point like the crest of a roller coaster. They were going downhill with broken brakes and grins on their faces.

Nico pulled back only slightly, bringing Will's bottom lip with him between his teeth. When he came back, he moved his lips down Will's jaw until he reached the top of his neck. With every kiss, he felt Will's body jerk underneath him. Every lick was accompanied by a restless sigh. Hand gripping within Nico's hair, Will guided him to just above the base of his neck.

Taking note of the way Will's entire body stiffened, Nico deepened the kiss, sucking lightly on his skin at first to test the waters. Nico felt nails dig into his bicep, and it was game on. He attacked his neck with the same hunger he'd felt since he met Will. His teeth nipped the skin, nuzzling it between his teeth.

Will let out a sharp breath of air, and when Nico again sucked on the sacred spot, he let out a tangible whimper.

Satisfied with his work, Nico grinned mischievously and moved back up to his face, stopping momentarily to kiss his ear. Will was breathing deeply, and Nico could feel his excitement pressing against his stomach.

Nico found Will's lips again, noticing the decelerated pace with which they kissed. He grinned into each kiss, enjoying the slowing pace more than he expected. He ran his tongue along his lip, eager to taste the mint again. Will kissed back lazily, his grip finally slackening. With two chaste pecks to his lips, Nico pulled back, watching as Will's eyes fluttered open.

"Gods, I've never been kissed like that," Will groaned.

"Please. Don't make that sound again," Nico panted, one hand pushing hair out of his face as he hovered over Will. "You're irresistible. Do you even know how much of a fucking turn on you are? Everything you do is just…so hot."

Will laughed abruptly. "Yeah right!" Nico frowned from above. For a reason unknown to either, Nico pressed his lips to his again. Realizing he was still hovering over him, Nico lowered his body down into Will.

"Not kidding," Nico spoke into his neck. "I didn't even get to grab your damn near perfect ass and I'm hard. It's kind of ridiculous."

Will rolled his eyes. "I'm inexperienced in sex, not boners. That's just -," Nico took Will's hand and pushed it underneath his jeans. "-Ahh," His voice spoke as his hands felt him through his underwear. Will's hips jerked upward involuntarily, and he bit his lip to keep from making more sounds that simply fed Nico's burning pit. Will's eyes were half shut, but they forced themselves open and stared at Nico, who was chuckling slightly. "H-half hard. You, uh, half."

Nico rolled his eyes and bit his neck lightly. "You can take your hand out of my pants now," he chimed lightly, enjoying the way Will's fingers seemed to move up and down out of instinct. He suddenly jerked upward, and Nico finally rolled off him to the side.

Will stayed frozen on his back, eyes blinking like they had trouble processing the latest events. It was an image of him that shouldn't have been so beautiful to Nico, but it was. From the way Will's smile was relaxed, as if there was nothing better to do in the world than smile, to the way he continued to lick his lips, Nico wanted to remember that image forever. It was so adorably sexy, something Nico hadn't expected to be a thing he'd like.

Nico slipped a hand under Will's waist and pulled him into his side. Will folded into him, half on his chest, half on his side, with an arm across his stomach. "This is so not good, is it?"

Nico sighed. "Definitely not."

"We're not gonna stop, are we?"

This time, he spoke with satisfaction, " _Definitely not._ "

. . .

Police sirens wailed like the sounds of a crying baby in the room next-door. At first, Nico didn't notice it. All he focused on was how nice the bed underneath him was, and how odd it felt to be this hot in his sleep. Then he heard a sigh, and his eyes flew open.

At the sight of Will's sleeping form, a soft half-smile spread along Nico's lips. His body was curled into Nico's side, and every time he exhaled, it tickled Nico's skin in a warm, electric feeling. There was a lock of hair standing erect, so Nico tucked it behind his ear. He was surprised to find Will slowly waking up.

With a smirk, Nico rolled over so he was hovering above the boy. Lightly, like one would kiss a newborn child, Nico pressed his lips to his cheeks, his nose, his jaw, his eyelids, his every freckle. A pleased grin came onto the blonde's lips. "I think you missed a spot," Will stretched as he mumbled, voice thick like chocolate. It stirred something inside of Nico, something too pleasant to fit into his life.

"Yeah?" Nico hummed into his cheek. He pulled away and stared down at Will. "Where?"

Nico was only expecting one answer from the sentimental Will Solace, so when he mumbled, "My dick," Nico froze. Will did as well. He forced his eyes open with that rare lazy grin of his. He chuckled and pulled Nico's body closer. "Sorry. I get horny in the morning."

Nico nuzzled his head into the crook of Will's neck, nipping lightly at his skin. "I can tell." Somehow within the night, they'd both shed their jeans, and there was definitely something less than soft pressing against his stomach. It was nice actually _enjoying_ the fact that Nico got somebody hard.

With a giggle, Will's hands ran through Nico's hair and pulled his lips onto his own. They molded together slower this time, acting as lazily as the boys felt. "Gods, you know, I had no clue this would happen when we came here," Will muttered into the kiss, his tongue running along Nico's bottom lip. "I had no idea you were into me at all."

Nico paused and spoke against his lips. "You're so damn annoying," Nico muttered. "But you're so damn cute."

"What? It balances me out?" Will giggled nervously, his fingers tugging at Nico's hair.

Nico snorted, "Think of it as…foreplay to me."

Will threw his head back in a fit of giggles. "Why does that _still_ turn me on?" Will met Nico's lips again with a little more vigor than before. Their tongues intertwined like a dance, both memorizing each step and flavor. It was like being starved for days and finally getting food enough for ten. Neither could stop. Nico ground his hips into Will, who let out a tiny whimper, and it would have sent Nico into overdrive if not for the stark sounds of sirens infiltrating his ears alongside Will.

Instantly, Nico jerked away. "Shit. Will, are they coming here?"

Will wiped his lips and frowned, focusing on the sounds. They were definitely close. "Um. Maybe. I…oh no. Mom – someone probably overdosed or something. No, no, no, no…"

With newfound strength, Will shoved Nico off and sprinted to the stairs. He nearly face-planted on one of their shoes. Nico rolled out of bed and pulled on his pants. After grabbing Will's, he jogged downstairs.

At that time, paramedics flooded the area. Not knowing his way around the house, by the time he found Will, he was getting up off the floor and letting a different paramedic take over. It wasn't, thankfully, Will's mother. She stood by the side, watching Will like he was the one on the floor.

Will grabbed the pants and pulled them on, an uncommon frown gracing his face. Nico grimaced at the sounds of more sirens. "Will, I can't be here."

Will's eyes seemed to bulge out of his head. "Yeah, Nico, he'll be just fine. Thanks for asking."

Nico rolled his eyes. "Not my problem, Solace. I need to leave."

"Why? What's so important that you can't wait two minutes to see if we just witnessed a death? To see if we just basically let this happen?"

"Let it happen? They did this to themselves, Will."

"While we were just upstairs fooling around. We should have stopped them!"

Nico clenched his jaw and stepped closer. "Not. My. Problem."

"Then what is?" Will hissed, eyes narrowing sharply.

Nico didn't have time to explain before the door burst open again, this time with policemen. They filed in by two, and Nico recognized the first pair with a sickening twisting of his stomach. They took in the scene cautiously. A lone paramedic spoke a few words to them, explaining the situation. The four policemen dispersed, all gathering evidence.

Minos came straight to them. "Why am I not surprised to find you here, Nico?"

Will's head whipped around, eyes wide. His hand latched onto Nico's wrist. "I had nothing to do with this, Minos."

Minos pretended to look around. "Hmm, I'm not too sure about that. With all these drugs laying around here, who's to say what you did and didn't do?" Nico's fists clenched as he struggled to keep his cool. This was exactly what he was afraid of. Minos' eyes looked him over, and he grew smug. "Watch yourself, Nico. Wouldn't want to see a repeat of what happened…oh, what was it, a year ago?"

"I don't know. Wouldn't you enjoy a matching scar? Right…" Nico leaned forward, gesturing lightly to the right side of his face. "There."

Minos' gaze narrowed. "That hand seemed a little shaky there, kid." He stepped closer. "How's life out of prison? Still somebody's bitch?"

Nico breathed out slowly. He looked to Will, sending a silent message that he _needed_ out of there. Instead of receiving and complying, Will took the plea to flee in his own way and formed his own solution.

"Let's get us some drug tests for these two, will ya?"

With two tiny fists, Will got in the overweight cop's face. "What drugs, exactly? Because the only drug within this house right now are elephant tranquilizers. You can check our arms – there's no signs of needle usage. We aren't disoriented or drowsy. We don't have clammy skin despite your brassy biased assumptions. And finally, our pupils are not needle points like my mother over there. If you want to arrest anyone, it's not Nico. We're leaving. Have my mother call me from jail _after_ she's detoxed this time – I'm not coming before just so she can get high again."

Will held himself with an air of authority. Nico had never seen him act so mature. Minos was jumping around for a response, and Will blinked his eyes, waiting expectantly. "I – er…fine. You're free to go. I'm keeping my eye on you, Mr. Angelo. Might even pay you a visit."

"Kiss my-,"

Will stood on his tiptoes and covered Nico's mouth. With a tight smile, he nodded and pulled Nico out the door. They mounted the bike with haste, as if they'd killed two people and the cops weren't already there. Will's hands wrapped tightly around Nico's waist and he pressed his head into his back. The morning air was crisp. It helped settle Nico's nerves.

"You forgot to mention you went to jail."

"You forgot to ask."

* * *

 **A/N: Wowwww has it been a full month? More? You guys have my deepest apologies. As always, I never understand my emotions, but this month particularly have been a month of oddly-functioning emotions, the biggest of which was the inexistent urge to write - or even open my computer! I feel awful, and I owe you all a better explanation. I'm honestly doing fine, but motivation is lacking.**

 **I haven't written much more, but maybe since I posted I'll get the urge to?**

 **Again, so sorry. Please feel free to yell at me:)**

 ** _AlSo! ThEy FrEaKiNg KiSsEd! WhAaAaT?_**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **disclaimer: I'm a horrible person**

 **actual disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.**

 **A/N: I know. I hate myself too, y'all. I'm horrible for being MIA for like two months? Idk. But I'll try to be back now guys. I will. ANYWAYS just to let y'all know this is the scene that I got inspired for this story from. There's an episode in criminal minds that has a leader offering himself for a younger more innocent boy and it touched my fucking heart.**

 **Warning: dark places here borderline rape (non violent) read carefully.**

* * *

The drive back helped clear his head, and Nico was just ready to ignore everything that happened that morning. Unfortunately, he knew Will. It took a total of two seconds for Will's hand to clamp on Nico's wrist, and that was because Will had fell while lunging for Nico.

"Hey," Will jerked back.

"Hey?" Nico scoffed.

"Can we talk about what just happened?" Will's eyes darted nervously around the surrounding woods. Noting his eagerness to keep things quiet, Nico began walking into the open.

"Do I look like a guy who wants to talk about shit?" Nico grunted as Will's grip hardened. Percy and Annabeth were nowhere to be found. Piper seemed to be running things. Currently, she was talking to a customer in their car while Jason hovered inches behind her. They'd all heard of Nico and Will's return, and now every pair of eyes were following their moves.

Will yanked him back. "No, but I am!" he yelled. It sort of knocked the breath out of Nico because…he couldn't remember a time where Will had shouted before. His voice, however, only continued to rise. "I'm tired of not knowing, Nico. I'm tired of being taken by surprise. I have so many questions, and I think I deserve some answers."

Nico's eyes narrowed. His blood was boiling. First, he forced Minos' attention back onto Nico after a year of avoiding all officers. Then, he had to go and call him out? This boy was stupid. "Watch yourself, Solace. We're in my territory right now." He stood so close their chests were touching, for once not in the slightest of sexual ways.

Will shoved Nico back. "You went to jail. Isn't that a little important for me to know, Nico? And who the hell is Luke? An ex?"

"None of your business, Will. Back. Down." Nico growled, hands clenching together so hard he heard his bones groaning. Will's image was shaking, growing redder by the second.

"Not my busi-?" Will threw his hands in the air with exasperation. "What is wrong with you? Why are you so closed off? Can't you see I'm trying to help?"

Nico's eyes shifted dangerously between Will's, checking to see his location. He was going in for the kill. "Can't you see I don't want you to?"

He walked into Will's shoulder so hard the blonde fell down. Thunder boomed overhead, and the electricity that came before the storm sparked through the air. Nico was suddenly aware of all the eyes on him. He was just about to gripe for them all to get back to work when Will's voice scoffed.

"Dammit, Nico, you push everyone away! What is it, some type of daddy issue?" Will was gaining confidence as he rounded in front of Nico.

"Drop it," Nico didn't recognize his voice.

"You can't go through life angry all the time. At some point, you have to deal with it and stop acting like he fucked the life out of you."

"I said shut up!" Dead silence met his outburst. Will wasn't making a sound, something so unfamiliar to Nico. Soon, he found out why. His hands were wrapped around Will's throat, pinning him against a tree. With a gasp, Nico let go. Will coughed momentarily, eyes never leaving the boy in front of him.

"Nico," Silena whispered with horror from the picnic table. His eyes roamed around the area, daring anyone to open their mouths. Silena didn't, but he could see the rest of her words in the black pools of scorn.

With an animalistic growl, Nico shoved past Will. Then, he heard their voices calling. "N-Nico, I'm sorry. Seriously, I didn't mean it."

But Nico didn't hear it. He didn't hear a word. He didn't hear a single noise outside the bird's screeching. The door creaked as it swung closed behind him. Annabeth was asleep, making annoying little coos as Percy hummed a song into her ear. His eyes locked with Nico's teetering ones.

He swung the door to the bathroom without a care to the sleeping girl two feet away. It slammed shut with a bang that reverberated off the walls of the cabin, giving Nico a sanctuary that was far less appealing than planned.

That stupid fucking blonde asshole.

Nico leaned over the cracked sink, panting breathlessly. His eyes strayed in and out of focus as he stared into the mirror. He recognized the person before him very well. With a splash of water to his face and neck, Nico wondered if he could persuade the angry boy in the mirror to leave.

"Nico, I'm sorry!"

His hands clenched too tightly on the sink, fingers gripping in between the cracks. "Shut up!" he growled with such vigor that the next thing he heard was chunks of porcelain shattering on the ground at his feet. He looked down to see blood oozing from his hands.

Nothing in his life ever went right. Everything came crashing down, burying him under the rubble. "Dammit!" he swung and hit the mirror, and for a second, the pain replaced his anger enough for him to get his head wrapped around things.

He walked outside and ignored Will's apologies. He found the water line and shut it off. Then, he hopped on his bike and rode off in search of hell.

. . .

Nico wrapped his lips around the cigarette. His hands were shaking. It was the cold that really did him in. He and Leo had been working all evening to get the newly stolen sink in. It had taken him a few hours of riding around in the run-down areas outside of town to find a forgotten sink in the junkyard, and it only took the Stoll brothers five minutes to steal it. It was just the fact that Leo had to sneak a few tools from one of Calypso's father's car dealerships that took so long.

Nico was growing somewhat desperate. He'd spent a week without plumbing. Jason, of all people, let him use him use his shower. Jason never said why. To the rest of them, Nico didn't live there, and there was no reason for Jason to know he lived there. But he offered. And Nico knew that he could had asked Percy or Will, but they both still assumed he lived elsewhere. They were too close to him. They'd make a big deal about it if they knew.

Besides, he wasn't talking to Will.

Which didn't mean Will wasn't talking to him. He still came around and pestered Nico to no end. He came around once a day to apologize by bringing McDonalds, which truly annoyed Nico. How did he know he loved McDonalds? Fuck, the kid was impossible.

"You have some grease on your butt, Nico."

"Hey, you know that's bad for you, right?"

"E-Cigarettes aren't great for you, but it's like heaven compared to those tar wraps. I'll get you one sometime, okay?"

"Or maybe a vape pen. Or Jul? What do you think, Neeks?"

"Ow, ow, okay, no Neeks, no Neeks."

It gave Nico mild entertainment to watch the rest of the Half-Bloods (as they'd fallen into calling themselves) attempt to figure out what exactly was going down between Will and him. The leading rumor was mildly close. Percy was saying that Will clearly came from a rich family and tried to offer Nico a 'real job.' It was believable considering the way Will dressed. Today was his most low-key outfits Nico had seen him in: a cut-out tank that showed off his bulging biceps and abs, tight jeans that hugged his ass to pronounce its curves, sleek, easy going Ray Bans, and the necklace he always had strung around his neck with colorful beads. To Nico's annoyance, he swore he kept getting hotter and hotter, and showing off more skin every day they didn't speak just to piss Nico off. It didn't help the rumors that they were together going around at all. Nico's favorite story, however, came from Leo, who claimed Will had tried to pay Nico money after they fucked. It was both wildly off the charts and deflating to Nico's libido because they hadn't come close to fucking.

Nico inhaled another deep breath, making sure to blow the smoke in Will's direction. "Seriously, Nico, if you're set on killing yourself -," he stopped his sentence short, eyebrows furrowing. Nico fought off a grin. He was supposed to be mad at him. Still, when Will Solace got mad, he also got so damn adorable. His nose scrunched, his hands balled into cute little fists, and his face turned red. "You know what? No. No, I will not sit around here and watch your kill yourself. I – I won't do it!"

Nico smirked and shrugged his shoulders. "Then leave."

Will hopped off the table, hands on hips and eyes full of bright yellow light. "Not happening." He stormed forward and swiped the cigarette away in one quick motion. If Nico hadn't been so impressed over his guts to do that, he'd have taken it back before he had a chance to throw it on the ground and step on it. Will looked up with a smug smile as if to say, "What now, hot shot?" Nico stepped forward, grabbing Will by the front of his thin shirt and glaring into those wide, undaunted blue eyes of his.

"Oooh, he's gonna get it now," Silena whistled.

"Nah, not for Will," Piper sighed breezily.

"Somebody stop the poor boy," Conner groaned. "He's too cute to be hit."

"Chill out," Travis elbowed Conner, starting a silent, less tension-filled argument than what was occurring between Nico and Will's eyes at that moment.

Nico tilted his head, unsure how he wanted to respond to Will. He was debating between just giving him a solid, quick blow to the head or simply dragging him into his room and fucking him until he forgot his name. Before he could decide, his phone buzzed and the purr of a car came snaking up the road.

"Watch yourself, Solace," Nico hissed darkly. Then, he shoved him back towards the table and leaned back against the tree, waiting for the new client.

Nico would have given anything to have taken Will back into his room.

Seconds before the car came into sight, his phone rang. Nico picked it up immediately. "Nico?" Zoë panted into the receiver. "Nico, I don't know who this guy is. The entire windshield is completely blacked out. I - this hasn't happened before. I'm searching his license plate right now, so try to stall -,"

"It's fine. I'll deal with him," Nico snapped into the phone. "Set up the cameras and come on up in case we need to escort him out through force. He may be packing and I don't trust Clarisse's bat against a gun."

Clarisse then shot him her worst death-glare manageable, and if the guy in the sleek black Escalade hadn't rolled down his window, he was sure she would have came over to prove her point in person.

The man had on completely black sunglasses and a black leather trench coat with the hood covering most of his face. He ushered Nico over with one finger, and Nico approached slowly. This guy was clearly smart enough to pick out the leader from nine other people. He was getting a bad feeling in his gut, one he hadn't felt in a long time.

The man's skin was a wallow, yellow-grey color, as if a printer was running out of all colors except death. His lips were cracking and completely grey, but Nico had a feeling it wasn't due to the weather. He wore gloves, but it was painfully obvious how thin the man was. There was some type of drug running through his system. If Nico had to guess, it would have been either meth, crack, or death itself.

And he was sixty percent sure he knew this man.

"You haven't been here before," Nico grunted, arms crossing as his eyes bore into the man's reflective glasses.

One side of his lips lifted in a mock smile. He then leaned around Nico. "I want the blonde."

Nico's grip tightened. Why did this guy make his gut twist into knots? "If you want both of the twins, it'll be-,"

"Not them," he hissed with a voice that had a ring similar to thousands of children crying out as they died in a mass genocide. He jerked his head over Nico's left shoulder. "Him."

At this point, he was positive he'd met this man before. He couldn't name when, but it wasn't through this line of business. He'd been younger, before he'd had a tainted view of the world. All he knew was that he was not a friend to him in the slightest.

Nico followed the man's gaze, expecting it to land on Annabeth's feeble from, but Annabeth was slumped behind Percy, who was sitting on the right side of the table. She was practically invisible to the man.

The only blonde sitting on the left side of the table was Will Solace. Innocent Will Solace who was grinning as Silena hugged him dearly. Cheerful Will Solace as his voice rang like bells as he giggled delightfully into her shoulder. Adorable Will Solace as flames filled his cheeks and his eyes connected with Nico. Seductive Will Solace as he sent a wink Nico's way, accompanied with even more addicting laughter.

All conversation slowly ended. This had happened a few times before, but never with a stranger, never with somebody as dangerously powerful as this man. Nico turned around, body stiff as stone. His eyes grew as cold and heartless as his soul. "He's not for sale."

He raised one eyebrow, which was as dead black as his hair. "Nico, I don't believe you've completely recognized me. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Thanatos, and correct me if I'm wrong, but…" he leaned forward and spoke so only Nico could hear him. Nico listened to every word, his body seeming to shut down more and more as he spoke. It was short, but it brought back long memories of pain and brutality he wished to never repeat. Fear like he hadn't felt since he was eleven ran through his blood, turning it cold and stopping it dead in its track.

He couldn't form a complete sentence. He couldn't form a complete thought even, but he did know one thing. Will Solace wouldn't go near him.

Nico stepped all the way against the car. His words came out in a growl. "Like I said. He's not for sale."

Thanatos paused, readjusting his stance before he pulled his sunglasses off. His eyes were an eerie color, like a yellow drained of all life. His stare made Nico want to back as far away as he could. He had a horrible feeling, not just about his interest in Will. It was like everything he'd built on Half-Blood hill was crumbling to pieces. "You do not want to cross me a second time, Nico."

He had no idea what he was talking about. The last time he'd seen Thanatos, he'd been a child. How could a child cross him? Nico went against many people a year ago, but this man was not one of them.

Thanatos looked over Nico's shoulder, gazing at Will again. Nico watched in the distorted reflection of the car as Will's expression sort of…slipped away, as if he was slowly hearing and understanding every word of Nico's conversation on his own time. And he had the balls to not even show fear for himself. Instead, the fear that captivated his eyes was aimed precisely at Nico, fearing for Nico.

Instantly, he knew one thing; Thanatos wouldn't touch a single hair on Will's body.

"You want something rare?" Nico grabbed hold of Thanatos' attention once again. He saw bemusement, tired, evil bemusement in the man's cold eyes. "You can have me."

His eyes jumped over Nico's body in a way that wasn't unfamiliar. It'd been months since he'd felt this. It needed to be longer. "And here I thought you'd gone off the market, Mr. Angelo."

That was what his father was called, not Nico.

Nico glanced over his shoulder one more time. Will's eyes were wet, glistening even. He clenched his jaw and made a move forward, but Nico held up his hand. "No," Nico mouthed. Will gasped and lunged forward, but Percy pulled him back down. They met eyes, and Nico was suddenly grateful for him. Percy knew. What had to be done simply…had to be done.

Zoë and Clarisse showed up at that time. "Nico? Do you want -?"

"No," Nico growled. "Clarisse, keep Solace out of my way. Jackson," Nico jerked his head in a nod. Percy stood up, slowly coming into understanding. He nodded back. Nico took a shaking, trembling breath. He turned back around to the smirking, smug Thanatos. Then, he walked to the car and climbed in the back seat.

. . .

There were guys who got straight down to business, and then there were guys like Thanatos. He took his time taking off each glove and unzipping his cloak, as if he had all the time in the world. Nico wasn't stupid enough to correct his assumptions either. Nico could sense when something wasn't right. And something wasn't right with Thanatos. Not even considering what he and Hades did to Nico the night his family died, Nico doubted his qualms stopped past rape.

He wasn't even surprised when the disturbingly pale man unloaded his guns. "That was much easier than anticipated, Nico. I have to say, this will be much better than the last time."

Nico started unbuttoning his shirt as Thanatos moved into the backseat beside him. He didn't want to give Thanatos any more to feed off of than he already gave him, but it certainly did not stop him from talking.

"See your daddy, as you may know, harbored an irresistible desire for you, Nico. But he didn't like to share…" Thanatos ran a hand down Nico's chest, shoving the rest of his shirt off his body. Nico's eyes hardened as he watched Thanatos continue to undress Nico. "It works well, though. He liked your skinny twink body, but me? I like my men…" his hands slipped under his pants and grabbed his dick, "as men."

Nico sighed and shimmied out of his pants, watching with irritation as Thanatos licked up every motion with sick greed. Nico noticed with dry amusement that Thanatos took off only his pants, and his boxers were by his knees. It'd been a while since Nico worked, but not that long. He knew what it always meant; that man was too ashamed of what he was to be fully naked with another man. Oh, how bittersweet.

"We're going to have a fun time, aren't we, Ghost King?"

Nico closed his eyes as lips kissed down his body. For a moment, he thought about imagining it was somebody else, somebody he liked. Somebody like Will. But that would forever taint his images of Will. However, after years of this job, after years of using different methods to cope, everyone came to the same conclusion; nothing made it better.

Nico pushed Thanatos back into the wall, forearm against his throat. Thanatos was only mildly surprised. "You'll have this night, Thanatos. You'll get this fuck, but you know what I just love about it? You know what makes it even almost enjoyable?"

Thanatos forced a grin onto his lips. "What is that, love?"

"You will forever have this memory, this memory of you fucking me, burned into your mind."

"And that's bad…how?"

Nico released Thanatos. He got on his knees and gripped the man's penis. Then, he smiled sweetly up at him. "Because you're a homophobe. You won't shut up because you're terrified of having a moment for your mind to think of the disgusting acts you're about to commit. You brought up my dad because if he did it, maybe it's not that bad. Hell, you can't even take off your shirt. Yeah, I'll enjoy knowing these memories will haunt your conscious forever, homophobe."

Thanatos didn't speak, he only grabbed Nico's head and shoved down, forcing his dick into Nico's mouth. And that was all the confirmation he needed to provide him some solace.

. . .

Not wanting to spend a second longer with Thanatos afterward, Nico walked back to the cabin with his shirt slung over his shoulder. At this point, it was late. Nico wasn't sure how long Thanatos kept him, but he knew it was longer than the usual two hours mostly because Clarisse checked on them three different times, which was only done when they went over time.

He tossed his shirt by the door and continued on towards the table. As he limped near, none of them moved. All eyes were on him, but not a word was spoken. Will was sitting against the tree, hands pulling the skin on his face tight. His blue eyes were even brighter as they were filled with tears. The white around the blue were bloodshot, and the skin on his forehead and under his eyes was red and blotchy.

Nico didn't have the energy to deal with him at the moment. He wanted to. He needed to, but he just couldn't. He faced the rest of those staring with an eye roll. "If you're all so keen on my business, one of you could make yourself useful and get me the beginners cushion. My ass is on fucking fire."

Behind him, Will struggled to stifle a sob. Piper snorted quietly and nudged Jason, who had appeared at her side in his absence. She whispered some words into his ear, and half a minute later, Jason was jogging from the cabin to Nico's side. He handed him the circular foam 'cushion,' but before he could move to sit down, Jason grabbed his arm and spoke into his ear.

"You okay?"

Nico snorted.

"Good. 'Cause he's not." Jason jerked his head towards Will. Nico raised an eyebrow. "Percy was still holding him back when I got here. Eventually, he just broke down. Silena tried talking to him, but…"

"He'll get over it."

Jason narrowed his eyes. "Nico. He's not used to this world. I would know. Just…let him know you're okay, okay?"

Nico took back his arm. He was planning on sitting on the picnic table where the cushion worked best. Instead, he hobbled next to Will on the ground. "Jackson, continue working the clients for a while." Nico went on to mutter under his breath, "Can't fucking walk."

He fell against the tree and did his best to slide down without ripping up his back. When his butt hit the donut, he cringed and fell against Will, who was more than eager to pull him all the way down so that his head rested in his lap.

"Got anything for a stretched out fucking hole, Will?" It was a horrible, awful question, but it made Will sniff with a minor chuckle. For a moment, he had half a smile. It set Nico's heart at peace. At least Will wasn't broken completely. He shook his head and combed his hands through Nico's hair.

They lied there for the rest of the night, neither speaking or moving an inch. Nico's butt eventually stopped pulsing, and Will's tears eventually stopped falling. They were far from okay, but for now they could ignore it all and pretend it didn't happen.

So Nico lied there staring at Will's golden locks until he was ready for sleep, pretending. He began to get up to head into the cabin, but Will pulled him down and told him to sleep, and Nico was too tired to refuse. As he was drifting off into oblivion, Will whispered into his ear words that he'd never forget.

"Thank you, Nico. I wish you wouldn't have…but thank you," he sighed, head resting gently on Nico's. "Now I really might be falling for you…"

* * *

 **A/N: Well then, that's one way to jump back into the story. I hope you all reread or now reread the last chapter that was so much happier than this one. Please tell me your thoughts about this chapter. What do you think about the future from here on?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

* * *

To everyone's surprise, Grover and Juniper came back the next day. While Nico was relieved that all eyes wouldn't be on him again, everyone else was relieved they'd actually get to have real food again. Juniper was one of the best cooks, even if she refused to cook any meats, which Leo happily made up for. He, of course, had to do it outside of the cabin; neither Juniper nor Grover allowed dead animal remains to step foot inside their walls. "It's not stepping, though, we're carrying it," Percy would remark, only to be beat with a tree branch afterward.

Nico welcomed them back with a nod and a toss of their keys back to the rightful owners. "We didn't expect you back for another two weeks," he grunted as they settled back into the kitchen.

Juniper avoided his gaze as she hurriedly reorganized food and supplies that had basically been thrown rampant in their departure. Grover took a slow seat on the counter. He, too, wasn't keen on keeping eye contact. "We sort of ran out of money."

Dissatisfaction washed through Nico, though he deeply understood. "I told you before you left to take another week or so in advance."

"W-we didn't want to do that to you," Juniper blushed as she began cleaning week-old dishes. Nico supposed he should have been keeping up on at least that much.

Grover nodded again as coolly as he could, but it was clear this subject ruffled him in the wrong way. "Y-yeah. I mean, we already left you suddenly so s-short handed…"

Nico raised an eyebrow. He couldn't help noticing the way Will opened the door into the cabin as quietly as he could, as if there were a way for Nico not to notice his every move. "You've been saving up for two years for a decent wedding. I think I had a little time to prepare. And we got by."

The cabin was one large room with a door to Nico's room in the far back corner. Since it used to be a storage unit with an office, renovations had to be made years ago. Leo Valdez made the newest one about a year after Nico arrived: a full bathroom that connected in on the left side. Before, there'd only been a toilet and sink. So despite it being a tall, spacious storage unit, they'd made the best of it, even added a mostly functional wall with space for a door to separate the kitchen and bar from the rest of the cabin. They never did put a door there, though, and Nico was glad they didn't because Will was currently leaning against one corner where the door would go, looking both curious and unexplainably desirable as he licked his lips. His eyes skirted for a second to Nico and then to Grover.

"Got by? Nico, you've surely lost at least ten pounds!" Juniper squeaked anxiously. Nico snorted and forced a tight smile onto his lips. Juniper always kept an eye on everyone, particularly their stomachs. She never thought she fed them enough.

"Hmmph." Will seemed satisfied, as if he'd been thinking the same thing and was glad somebody else recognized it as well. Nico rolled his eyes.

"You just gonna stand there like a weirdo?" Will tightened his lips, considering his options with a huff, Nico grabbed him by the shirt and placed him against the counter. "Grover, Juniper, this is our new medic, Will Solace. He's saved both Annabeth and Percy since he's been here."

Grover let out something like bleat. "We left for one month a-and even the smart one of our friends get hurt! By the gods!"

"We have more than just Percy and Annabeth as friends, Grover," Juniper reminded him.

Nico turned to Will. "Juniper makes a mean tofu burger. Almost beats McDonalds-,"

"If you mention that horrid excuse for a restaurant again, I'm leaving!"

"-and Grover helps transition people into life here and life out. He keeps condoms and shit stocked. Kind of does whatever needs done that I don't have time for. When somebody wants to leave, he helps them find a _legal_ job, too. He's pretty good with the computer shit to get them all signed up and 'qualified.'"

Grover shrugged. "I'm also a part time assistant in a local vet's office, so I do function well in the outside world. People tend to isolate themselves up here," he said with a pointed look at Nico. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to welcome you in, Will." Grover was speaking cautiously, like he suspected there was another side to Will than what met the eye.

Will reached forward and shook his hand with a pure smile. Gods, why did Nico fall for the _goodest_ of good boys? "No worries. Congratulations on your marriage! How was the honeymoon?"

Juniper blushed a greenish shade as she smiled. "It was _wonderful!_ I've never been happier in my-,"

Nico cleared his throat. "I've got to have a word with Will, but take your time settling in. He turned on his heels and pulled Will by the arm into the baron living room. He'd been expecting a lecture about manners, but not a word came from Will's mouth.

"So how about it?"

He blinked. "What?"

"A job here. You're here most days anyways. It's unfair not to pay you. It won't be a ton, but…" he shrugged, unsure how else to hide his hope in his words. Will's eyes shifted from the ground to Nico's slowly, almost in disbelief. He was confused, wondering if he'd missed information. Nico, worried he'd turn him down despite there being no prior evidence of such actions, continued. "We'd get you a jacket. We all have them. Mine's leather, but yours can be whatever you want. Put a medic sign on the back, your name, hell maybe even a sunshine over the heart… You're so damn bright, you know that, right?"

Slowly, the pieces came together in Will's eyes. Instead of elation, defeat was written across his face. He stared at Nico, mouth agape, eyes filled with watery unshed tears.

"It was my fault, wasn't it?"

Nico's eyes grew wide. "What? No. Will…"

They both waited for him to finish his sentence, but he was too surprised he'd actually said those words.

"I knew it. Nobody would admit it. Th-they said it happens all the time, but…" Will's head fell into his hands. "I'm so sorry, Nico. I shouldn't have been out there, and because of it you had to – and…and you should have just let me deal with it. I – I'll never be able to apologize enou-,"

"Will!" Nico finally spoke in a raspy, unsure voice. Will was shaking so badly Nico had to move to the coffee table and take his hands and legs between his own. "Will, you'd have to be insane to think I'd let that creep defile _anyone,_ let alone you. You are still – pure, Will." Nico broke off with a dry laugh, his eyes turning cold and passionate. "Can't you see the difference between everyone here and you? You're _good._ You can become something. You aren't broken, not completely. And…I'd die before I let somebody break you."

He didn't know where those words came from, but he'd never spoken such truth in his life. He knew it now, completely. He knew it and he hated it. It made him so incredibly weak, this devotion to Will that he'd forced himself into. If anyone realized how strongly he felt for Will, they'd have a weapon against him. And Nico didn't care. He didn't care, as long as Will was okay.

It seemed to make Will only more heartbroken, though. A tear slid down his cheek, and Nico's fingers ghosted along his skin to wipe it away. Will's hand shot upward and held Nico's to his face. His eyes were wavering, desperate for the truth. "You're telling me," Will said shakily, "if that had been Jason, you'd have done the same thing."

And Nico hesitated, just for a second.

"Exactly," Will threw his hand away. "I'm the reason he ra…"

Nico moved forward to the edge of the table, forcing Will to acknowledge his presence. "He what? He didn't _rape_ me, Will." He didn't say a word, didn't look at him. Nico sighed with utter frustration and moved to Will's side, sliding an arm around his waist and pulling him to his side. He never felt more satisfied in his life. With closed eyes speaking into his golden curls, Nico whispered, "This isn't new for me, Will. I can handle it."

"You shouldn't have to," he croaked, voice breaking. They didn't speak. "Is the jacket so th-they won't think I'm…up for grabs?" Nico's cheeks flared. It just so happened they were shooting two birds with one stone. Will closed his eyes and nodded solemnly. "Thanks, Nico."

And then Nico found Will's head tucked against his chest, arms hugging him tightly. It took him a few terror-stricken seconds to quell his nerves and fully hug him back. Whatever Will was doing to Nico, it was hard to tell if it was good or bad. And there wasn't a chance at stopping it.

. . .

They were having another bonfire the next night, and the clients were _pissed._ Grover had sent out mass texts that they'd be closed tonight. He didn't text them often, mainly because half of them had nosy wives that would flip shit, but when he did text them, it was like advertising. They came in flood waves from noon until they closed the doors at seven. It was enough to send everyone into overdrive. Everyone was on call, and everyone had seen a minimum of two people by the end of the night, most more than that, though.

Some liked it. Leo sat next to the fire with a smirk, counting his heavy pocket money. "You've got to do that more often, Nico. I'm set for the rest of the month!"

Jason whacked Leo on the head and took the seat next to him. "That's why he doesn't do it more often. You get greedy and stop showing up."

Leo muttered a snarky reply under his breath but didn't disagree. Nights like these tended to take more of a toll on the girls. Not all clients wanted to be the top in anal sex with guys. Plenty wanted just a blowjob by a guy (particularly closeted ones). However, most men who came in for female pleasure wanted it to end in vaginal sex. After two or three two-hour sessions, they were rubbed raw. Will had already provided his medical care, and Nico did not stop to question him exactly what that entailed.

Piper skipped over with a cup of whatever alcohol concoction the Stoll's were mixing up tonight. It seemed that with only a drop of alcohol, she stopped trying to hide her affection for Jason. Nico was somewhat curious, though. In most cases where one of their female prostitutes started dating a guy outside of their circle, the relationship did not last long. Men were simply too possessive.

As she settled herself in Jason's lap, though, Nico felt some pity for them. She was much happier with him around it seemed.

Grover and Juniper were dishing out food. They both agreed everyone had simply stopped eating since they left. Now they were determined to stuff them all full.

Nico took out a cigarette and thought about lighting it. After their full day, he needed it. But then he heard Will giggling as he, Silena, and Annabeth walked towards the fire.

Annabeth had five clients today and one blowjob. Nico told her to rest in the cabin, but she seemed intent on making up for her lost time. She was almost requesting people. He'd never seen her like that before. Normally, she took half an hour to cool off between clients. She and Percy would get a drink together and talk about random news to keep her mind off what happened. It was a routine that was very much absent today.

When Silena saw Nico, she gasped, attempting to pull both Will and Annabeth in his direction. She only succeeded in taking Will with her. Annabeth avoided Nico's gaze and set off towards Percy.

"Nico! Nico, guess who I invited here?" Silena was glowing with excitement. Her olive skin tone seemed to be glinting off the moonlight. He noticed her make-up had been retouched and her hair curlier than before.

Will mouthed a word that seemed to form 'Blehmendork.'

"A boy?"

"Yes! You know, the one I told you about earlier? The one who lives next door?" Silena was bouncing at this point. "I just wanted to make sure it's, like, cool."

"Does he know what we do?" Nico asked, puzzled by this mystery man. He vaguely recalled her having an interest in a new neighbor.

"Well, no," Will interjected. "But we think as long as they stay a ways away from the main group and he gets drunk enough, it won't matter."

Nico sighed. "Of course, you'd be mixed up in this." Will's cheeks turned red as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Sure, Silena, but I have a bad feeling about him here. If it goes south, it's on you."

His words didn't make the grin falter for a second as she bounded away towards the sound of the coming car. Will seemed a little heated. "What did that mean, Death Boy?"

Nico smirked as he stepped closer to Will, noticing his outfit for the first time tonight. He was wearing loose jeans and a black shirt – an odd combo for him, but a hot one at that. "It means," Nico grunted as he moved close enough to wrap his arms around Will and pull him flush against his chest. "That you are always nosing around relationship shit."

Will seemed offended as he leaned away from Nico, who was having none of that. "Me? I haven't even brought that up between us, I'll have you know!"

A grin appeared on Nico's face. He adored a flustered Will. "Don't worry, Sunshine. We both know who you are."

"Who I am?" Will hissed. Nico gave his butt a firm grab before shoving him away and walking in the direction of the fire.

"You're _Daddy's Boy_ , right?" With a wink, he sent Will's face aflame. "And we know who daddy is, don't we?"

.

.

.

"I hate you!" Will yelled and dashed after him. There was one lone chair left, and after a few minutes of fighting each other for it, they both squished themselves into it, Will practically sitting on Nico's lap.

At some point, Annabeth came by and handed out Percy's drink mixtures. Most of them sat on blankets huddled together. Even Cecil and Lou Ellen managed to make it out here. Lou brought her girlfriend, and Cecil was clearly unhappy about Lou's latest partner from the way he continuously got in their way of cuddling by the fire. Silena, true to her word, sat slightly further away with the acclaimed Beckendorf. Her boyfriend had deep colored skin that brought attention to his deep brown eyes in the moonlight. He was built, probably more so than any of them here. And Silena fit into his side more perfectly than he pictured when she'd described the 'dream boy from nextdoor with a brilliant smile.'

Will shifted and swung his legs over Nico's lap. He had a smile that could only be born from the sun. "Everybody is watching us."

Nico's eyes glinted as he gazed around. Percy and Annabeth weren't paying too much attention, opting rather to whisper in furtive bursts. Piper was snickering happily and pointing Jason and Leo in the direction of the two boys curled together. Lou and Cecil, who had no idea how close Nico and Will had gotten, were talking suspiciously. Connor and Travis argued while their friends Miranda and Mitchel watched them with minor bemusement. Clarisse and Chris manned the fire, snickering to each other about one gruesome thing to another. Grover and Juniper were wrapped in each other's arms, both content and lazily watching Nico and Will without a hint of shock.

Nico looked back at Will, who held his interest more than any of the previously mentioned. He chuckled tiredly, placing his hand on Will's cheek and rubbing a slow, steady line on his cheek bone. "They can enjoy the view or piss off, then," Nico grinned as he moved forward and met Will's lips. There were a few small gasps, the loudest of which coming from Will. It was quick, but it felt so good. "You taste like vanilla."

Blushing, Will smiled widely. He leaned forward and kissed Nico for a second longer than before, soft, warm lips forcing a smile to Nico's soul. "You taste like…" Will said sluggishly, eyes fluttering open against all odds. "Yum."

Nico threw his head back with laughter. "I taste like yum? Gods, Solace, how drunk are you?"

"Drunk on yo-,"

"I will hurt you."

Will winked and spoke into his lips, "Fine. What if I said I'm drunk enough to give you a blowjob?

Nico couldn't stop the grin from spreading along his lips. "I'd say…on your knees, Sunshine."

Will's mouth dropped open. As Nico leaned in to kiss him, he shoved a hand in his face and got to his feet. "Nico di Angelo is _disgusting!"_ Will yelled loud enough to draw the attention of everyone there. Nico smirked devilishly and watched the guy he adored make a cute fool of himself. He leaned over and pressed his elbows into his knees and smiled. Will spun around, drink in hand, and sighed. "Aw, but he's so hot, isn't he?"

Lou was nodding vigorously in approval, which surprised Nico. It also surprised her girlfriend from the sound of her hand on Lou's face.

"Can somebody please return my lightweight nuisance to me?" Nico snorted as he cordially sipped his drink. Will drank as much as Nico did, and the effect of tolerance showed clearly between the two. Leo jumped up and shoved Will away from the fire before he could burn himself.

Will stumbled to his knees in front of Nico, batting his eyes suggestively. "Oh get up, Solace," he rolled his eyes. Will stuck out his tongue briefly before settling himself between Nico's legs, back to chest. It was an oddly comfortable position for both boys. Nico couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so happy yet so at ease. He enjoyed having the boy in his grasp, _feeling_ him there with every part of his mind, body, and soul. Will leaned back enough so he could stare at Nico.

"You're beautiful, Nico…Nic-o…Neeks," Will sighed dreamily. His heart jumped out of his chest at the way his name rolled off Will's lips. Normally, he'd never have allowed anyone to give him a nickname, but there was something about the way it sounded from Will.

"And you're irresistible, Sunshine," Nico whispered, nuzzling his head in Will's luscious curls. He pressed his lips to his cheek once before looking up. He'd never had more trouble believing what he saw than at that moment.

There was a figure walking out of an expensive car that looked suspiciously like a BMW. As she got closer, she revealed herself to be a wholly, heart-stoppingly beautiful girl dawned in a brilliant white dress with true pearls to match. Her hair was clean and curled, draped over her shoulder with the upmost care.

"Oh my – wow," Percy sat up from his chair, ready to meet her halfway with drool dripping out of his mouth.

"Sit down!" Griped Annabeth, and with a harsh tug, she pulled him into her by his shirt. Percy shook his head and looked at Annabeth with guilty eyes. All she did was dig her elbow into his side until he cried out. Nico smirked, loving the way they both refused to admit their feelings for one another.

"Who is that?" Percy continued to hiss. "That's got to be -,"

"Calypso!" Leo shot into the air with complete astonishment. He jumped off the ground, throwing Piper off Jason's lap, and lips, in the process "Calypso, I – I can't believe you found this place…how did you find this place? Are you okay?"

He engulfed Calypso in a bear hug, to which she started hitting him more than lightly on the head. "Leo! Put me down! I'm fine!"

Leo broke away. Nico had never seen him so happy. He'd seen a smiling Leo on the daily, but this was more than a smiling Leo. Nobody knew that Leo could get happier than normal, but he clearly was right now. "I can't believe you're actually here at my home away from home, my beloved sanctuary, my-,"

"Leooo," Calypso's voice rang like bells in the night as Leo engulfed her into his arms, head disappearing in her luscious, almost glowing hair. "Leo…Leo!" She began furiously giggling. "Stop it! Stop it and in-introduce me!" He'd managed to begin tickling her, Nico supposed, with his mouth on her neck. Interesting.

Leo sat her down but kept an arm tightly around her shoulders. She was small enough to fit into his side perfectly. While he was a world of smiles, she was a gracious sweet moonlight of satisfaction. Nico could hardly believe she was real in the first place, let alone that she actually liked Leo. Now, his mind was blown; Calypso didn't want to be anywhere than at his side.

Leo walked in front of the fire with an ear-splitting grin. "Guys, this is _mi novia muy calienteeee – Calypso_ ," Leo wrapped her in another hug.

Piper shot to her feet. "Calypso, it's so nice to finally meet you!"

"Yeah, we all thought he made you up," Annabeth snickered as she leaned back against Percy's chest. He was both pouting and pleased with Annabeth's actions.

Calypso smiled faintly. "It wouldn't be unlike Leo to do that," she leaned her head against his chest. "We've been together for a while. My family just can't know, so we have to be cautious."

"How did you get out here tonight anyways, baby?" Leo asked quietly, but everyone could hear.

"They're out of town and you showed me how to disable the cameras last time you were over, remember?"

"Well take a seat!" Will called, the vibrations of his voice being felt within Nico's chest. "We don't bite!"

Nico stole the rest of Will's drink. He didn't mind. He was too busy tracing Nico's tattoos. "How did you get these?"

"I know the owner of a tattoo parlor. He lets me use the shop every now and then."

Will's mouth slowly fell open. He switched from looking at his arm and Nico's face. "No way. These are _really_ good, Neeks. You did these? Amazing." Nico watched his eyes run up the ink splattered upon Nico's arms. "Look, you know you're hot. And I've wanted to see you shirtless for a while, okay? But like, I just want to see you shirtless so I can see more of your tattoos…okay?"

Nico had trouble stifling his laughter. "I love Drunk Will."

Will smiled cheekily and puckered his lips. "Aww. I love you, too, baby."

Nico's buzz was like a wall of ice, and it suddenly melted like the sun touched it. At first, he was unsure if he'd heard Will correctly. But from the feeling of his lips against his neck and his hands gripping Nico's legs tightly, Nico knew he'd heard him correctly. He loved him. Will. Loved. Nico.

No. That didn't make any sense. It was impossible. Nobody loved Nico. Nico didn't get to experience love. He experienced pain and rape and prostitution and abuse. He didn't experience joy and happiness and excitement all from seeing one person. He didn't experience the feelings of a person in love. He didn't deserve that. A happy ending wasn't in Nico's future. No. It made no sense.

Before he could even form a complete thought to Will's words, Nico found Percy and Annabeth standing before him. They were pensive and worried, oblivious to the massive words Will placed upon Nico moments before their arrival.

"Nico, can we talk?" Percy began in a tone much darker than Nico thought was needed.

He could only nod. Percy's eyes drifted towards Will, but Annabeth waved a hand. "He's two drinks away from puking." Percy jerked his head once before taking a deep breath.

"Nico, we've been meaning to talk to you sooner, but…it's a lot to handle. But – well, we'll just explain. Annabeth?"

Annabeth wrung her hands after shooting him a glare. "We've been here for five years, Nico. And we've decided…it's time to move on."

He had to admit, this took him by surprise. He'd had a feeling it'd be coming sometime in the future, but he'd forced his feelings aside. Percy and Annabeth never had the resources to step out on their own before. They'd fallen into the family aspect of Half-Blood Hill. In Nico's mind, them leaving wasn't even an option to him.

He sighed deeply, unsure how to handle losing his two best workers. He slipped out from underneath Will and took Annabeth and Percy aside. Arms crossed, he considered their options. "You're our two most popular requests. I mean…you've been having it good here, even with your injuries. Are you sure?"

Annabeth had bags under her eyes. She glanced wearily at Percy and fell against him tiredly. Percy took one look at her frame and seemed as if he could have decided right then and there all over again. With a clenched jaw, he nodded. "We're tired, Nico. We want more in our lives than selling our bodies to creeps every day. If we don't leave now, we'll have no chance."

"Besides," Annabeth continued, "we heard the serial killer is back in town. He got a family in the apartment complex next to ours."

"We figures it was a sign."

Nico pinched the bridge of his nose. He knew this was coming. It happened to everyone. Eventually, they phased out. Age normally wasn't the factor; after so many years, everyone had a breaking point. And he understood them being weary about the serial killer. He had no idea he was back, but most people did fear him. "I understand. I've been dreading this for months now, though I should have expected you to do it together."

Annabeth smiled with exhaustion, and Nico suddenly didn't feel a single ounce of sadness. She deserved better. They both did. Both growing up with abusive families, it's amazing what good people they became despite all odds of hunger, homelessness, and despair. "Where will you go?"

Percy pursed his lips. "We've been saving up for a while now. Annabeth's going to move in with my mom and me, kicking out Gabe…"

"We were hoping now that Grover's back that he'd help us find jobs," Annabeth said with finality.

Nico grunted and crossed his arms, looking with curiosity at Percy. "I'm sure he will, but I figured our priority for him is hacking into the DMV to find the owner of the guy who left Annabeth for dead. Right, Percy?"

Percy's eyes hardened, turning from a lull emerald to a dark, green mixed with black rage. Annabeth hissed as his hands tightened around her waist. "You're right."

Annabeth looked offended. "That's the past. We have to forget the past and look to the future."

Percy didn't even spare her a glance. His eyes were locked with Nico, sending him a message to track that man down no matter what. "Not this time, Annabeth."

"No!" she shouted, detaching herself from Percy. "No. I've spent _years_ being touched and used and beaten. I'm done, Percy. If you're so set on revenge, fine. Grover can find us when there's news. Until then, I'm moving in with you and we're going to college."

"College?" Nico asked. That was a new one.

"Yes. We've got a lot saved, and we can take loans and work on the side. I've got it all planned out."

Neither Percy nor Annabeth seemed 100% convinced it was all planned out, though. Nevertheless, Nico saw it in her eyes. Annabeth had taken enough. So, he took a breath and nodded. "You deserve more than college, Annabeth. You can let everyone know tonight if you want. If it's college you want, Grover will be able to help you in less than a day. I'll prepare your bonuses by the end of the week."

They both took on expressions of surprise at the word bonus but didn't object. "If you need anything, you're always welcome here, okay?"

"Thank you, Nico. Truly," Percy gripped his shoulder firmly for a second, and a moment of appreciative passed both ways between them.

"Go on and announce it. We can't exactly afford another going away party. I think it put Conner near tears tonight." Nico nodded in the direction of the fire.

He thought about going back to the bonfire with the two, but his heart wasn't in it anymore. He'd known Percy and Annabeth for over five years. He was the one who brought them here. Hell, they would have been the ones in charge if he hadn't stormed out of jail with a fire no one dared to touch.

Nico sighed. He couldn't help but feel that fire slowly dispersing. Back then, he'd known everyone like family. He still did, but things were about to change. Losing Annabeth and Percy would be like losing his older sister all over again. He was on his own now. It wasn't like they ever comforted him, but he knew if he needed, they'd go to hell and back for him. Now…he had no one.

No one except Will Solace, apparently. He still didn't know how to feel about that annoying blonde. Nico scoffed at the idea of love. It was weak. It tied you to someone. If they went down, you went down with him. And wasn't he the prime example of that? Hadn't Will already made him weak enough to offer himself to be defiled rather than Will? It hadn't felt that way at all when it was happening, but wasn't that what he did? Wasn't he weak now?

Sure, it was out of his own choices. He could have left Will to be torn apart starting at the soul by the hands of Thanatos, but the mere inkling of that thought made Nico sick.

He spat into the ground. Will Solace made him weak. Love made him weak. He was undeniably _in love_ with that man, though that's not even close to describing what he felt. It wasn't sappy and romantic like his mother made it sound. It wasn't world-altering or breath taking like his sister defined it. No, it was so much _more,_ but completely different all the same. It was possessive, it was painful, it was protective and heart-clenching and full of surprises and just utter, strict fear that made him not want to breath. It was a _need_ , not a want.

It made him weak, and there was no way to stop it.

* * *

 **A/N: Extra long chapter to make up for the meh feelings about it. Idk, not my favorite part of it all. Kinda filler, kinda not. What do you all think? Also, can I just say an enormous thank you to GirlishkyGreek? Your sweet, long, actual review made my day! I'd love to see more long reviews with helpful content, even if it is simply critiquing. Anyways, I hope the wait wasn't too long for you, and I've made some goooood progress in the meantime!**

 **Let me know your thoughts** **pleasee :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot.**

 **A/N: hey, remember when I said I was back and updating? HAHAHHAHBHAH.** **I'm very sorry about my horribleness. I have had 0 inspiration to write lately and it's just been something else. I'll try to do better. It's just getting hard to finish this story.**

 **Anyways, things could start to get a little messy soon. I hope you all can hang with it. My problem as a writer is that I make plot holes or things just don't add up because I get confused on what I've said. I'm working on it, but there's so much going on in this story...we will see.**

* * *

Will, it turned out, was only one drink away from vomiting. Nico wished it was how it was in the movies. Unfortunately, for a first-time drunk vomitter, it was much, much more painful. At least, according to Will himself it was. Nico sat on the edge of the bath while Will curled himself into a ball beside the toilet for five minutes moaning, "I'm dying! Gods, I'm dying. Nnnnnico, when I die…kiss me. I need to go out with something better than this horrid pain."

Nico sighed tiredly. It was four in the morning, and he just wanted sleep. "I'm not coming near your lips right now, Solace." He rested his head on his hands and watched with half-open eyes as Will continued to clutch at his stomach. Gods, he was sort of a wimp. Nico had vomited a fair amount of times after a heavy night of drinking, and he never remembered feeling as ill as Will beforehand. Maybe he was in pain. Or maybe he was just a complainer.

"W-why not? Don't you love me?"

Nico scowled. "What? No – it's because you're going to puke any second now."

But Will had clearly only heard the first part of Nico's sentence. "Y-you don't l-love meeee," he cried. "Gods, can this get any worse?" His body shook with shivers. Nico didn't blame him. It was absolutely freezing in the bathroom. It smelled fine, for now, but the cold made it an even crisper smell than the rest of the cabin, and Nico was dreading when Will finally did vomit; it'd be overwhelmingly potent.

"Shut up," Nico grumbled. He wondered if he could get a hangover so early.

"I mean, why would you l-love me? I'm – I'm me! I – oh," Will groaned, rolling to his back and staring at the ceiling. "I'm unlovable!"

"Seriously, Will, shut up."

"What's even the point? You're too hot f-for me! Why I even tried…ugh…"

His body shook violenetly, and his cheeks flushed. Nico knew those signs. "Will, sit up. You're going to puke.

"You don't love me!"

"Will, you're going to aspirate, and you know that's bad."

"What'ssa point? Nobody loves me, I…"

Nico growled as he lunged forward and gripped underneath Will's arms. "You know I do, Will, okay? Just sit up!" Nico managed to plop him over the toilet, his hair nearly dripping in the water.

"Youloveme?" he gasped, and as he opened his mouth, floods of bile came roaring out. He choked and gagged as it continued rushing out of him. Will was smart enough to get a decent grip on the toilet as wave after wave came. His long curls were in the way, so Nico made sure to keep them behind his ears.

Breathing deeply, it seemed to stop. He stayed silent for a while. "Oh, my gods, I wish I were dying," he moaned as a second round came up his throat. Nico watched in unsurprising yet intriguing amusement as Will vomited up the alcohol and became noticeably soberer. "Thanks, Nico…gods, this sucks."

Nico agreed solemnly. "This, Will, this is why lightweights get shitted on."

Seeming to trust his stomach not to regurgitate again, Will sat back on his butt and stared at Nico, looking too much like a ghost to make Nico stop worrying. "Makes sense," he muttered like his favorite childhood show had just been ruined by exposing its dark, horribly ulterior plot.

Something in Will shifted, and he hunched over the toilet again. "Nooo," he begged in a way that made Nico's stomach twist. "Nico?"

"Yeah?" he responded attentively, more awake than ever now.

"This issss…scary," he whispered in a smaller voice than Nico had ever heard him use before. Nico moved to beside the toilet and saw Will's face clenched in pain or fear. He couldn't tell. His eyes closed so tightly, like he was waiting to take up from a dream. "I want my dad."

There were many times Nico could relate to this feeling. There'd been countless times that he felt so much fear that he sat still, praying for his mother's hugs that told him everything would be okay, waiting to hear Bianca humming surely as she rubbed his back.

"I know," he said, shocked to hear how emotionless his voice was. Nico cleared his throat and moved to Will's side, wrapping a hand around his shoulders. All he wanted was to make that incapacitating fear leave his mind. "I'm here, though. I've got you, Will. Don't worry, everything is going to be okay. Trust me."

"Really?" his voice was cracked, and Nico wasn't sure if there were tears on his cheeks or if they were simply moist with sweat. "I hate this."

Gods, he hated this too.

"Have I ever let you get hurt?" Will shook his head miserably. "That's what I thought. Come on now. You're done. Let's get a little food and water. Then we'll head to bed."

"What if-?"

"I'll watch you and make sure you don't vomit again," Nico helped Will stand properly. "You're safe with me. Always."

. . .

When Nico decided to take Will to the pull out couch for bed, he'd done so in order to prevent Will from freaking out about the fact that Nico actually lived in the cabin. He'd tell him eventually. He'd decided that while thinking the pull-out bed wasn't as bad as Percy and Annabeth had described. He'd also decided that on the idea that all his friends were too hungover to walk in and see him spooning Will.

He was wrong.

See, he'd woken up much later than usual. Surprisingly, though of course he should have known Will was an early riser no matter what, Will was up long before him. He'd showered, washed his mouth out with Listerine, and had time to make a plate of bacon and eggs before rejoining Nico in bed.

"Wake up, sleepy head," Will whispered with adoration plump-clear in his voice. Nico scowled, curling in on himself and insisting the noise was part of his dream. Moist lips made an appearance along his collarbone. One eye opened curiously. Pressure assumed along his neck, and Nico realized with pleasure that Will had bitten him ever so softly.

"Do you want to die today, Solace?" Nico flipped over and spoke into a pillow. All he was rewarded with was a charmed chuckle and fingers trailing up and down his shoulder blades.

"I don't have a hangover, and the others shouldn't get here for another hour…" Will hummed into his ear, ending it with a flick of his tongue. Nico gritted his teeth. How could one be so aroused and _so_ tired at the same time? Well, he didn't wait to get the specifics of it. All Nico knew was that the fucker who didn't get hangovers was _not_ getting his way today. "I wonder what we'll do with so much time on our hands…" Even while trying to seduce him, Will was as eloquent and sophisticated as ever…stupid fucker.

"I know how. Sleep!" Nico growled. "So help me, Solace, if you don't turn off that lamp and get under these covers in the next ten seconds, I will bash that cute head of yours in with a hammer."

Will continued to laugh, like Nico had just made a joke. Ohhhh, Nico could not wait until they had sex. Will's ass was his. He was going to make him regret the day he ever met Nico. His ass would be in such pain he won't sit for days after Nico's finished with him!

Dammit, that blonde idiot made him wake up enough to get horny. There was such a slim chance he'd fall back to sleep now! But he would definitely try.

Will, owning at least half a brain, did, in fact, turn off the lamp and slip underneath the covers. Without a second thought, Nico turned to his side, grabbed the blonde's waist, and pulled him back roughly against his chest. "You fucking idiot," Nico murmured into Will's bare shoulder.

"So you are turned on!" Will said with delight as he felt the hard-on pressing against his butt.

"Well, no shit!" Nico continued to close his eyes, praying sleep would take him over again. "Perfect fucking ass…shower hair…" Nico growled with annoyance. "Smell good…of course I'm turned on. But you know what I want more than sex?"

Will sighed with mirth. "Sleep."

Nico pulled Will's body back even closer to his. Gods, it felt so good to hold him in his arms. Will's legs tangled between Nico's, in a way that said he was perfectly fine spending their morning like this. His body was so warm. A crisp, clean scent came from him and his wet curls, and it made Nico want to announce to the world that Will Solace was his, every single morning, just so he could smell him.

With Will's even rise and fall of his body, it didn't take long for Nico to fall back to sleep. No dreams. No nightmares. Just perfect bliss. Heat in all the right places and a sense of security reached him even through his deep slumber.

And it was all shattered far too soon.

A chorus of laughter and camera shutters jolted Nico awake. He would have gotten to his feet had a certain little blonde not been clutching his hand. Surrounding the pull-out bed were both Stoll brothers, Silena, Charlie (to his surprise), Percy, Annabeth, Grover, Juniper, Clarisse, Jason, and Piper.

"Look at Nico! Such a fucking softie!"

"Aw, how _cute."_

"Fucking insulting to the male race with all your fucking cuddling."

"This is going up on the wall, forever to be remembered."

"Oh, he's turning redder by the second."

"Not redder than Will, though."

"Ew, did they fuck? Hey, this was our bed!"

"You two are leaving."

"It was still our bed!"

"Couple of the year!"

Nico closed his eyes and fell back to the bed, but that didn't stop them from taunting the two boys wrapped around each other. Will was coming to slowly, rubbing his eye with a free hand and peering up curiously at the crowd.

"What the hell are you doing here so early?" Nico said, words blurring together thanks to the pillow against his lips.

"It's one o'clock, Nico."

"Shit," Will laughed, sitting up and further displaying the fact that they had been cuddling together _shirtless._ "Well, hey guys."

"Let me repeat myself; what the hell are you doing here?" Nico growled.

"Somebody has to clean up the yard, and we figured from Will's state last night that you all wouldn't be up and going until much later," Piper explained, eying the shine Will was profoundly giving off. "But it appears we chose the wrong gay."

Nico pushed himself upward and flipped her off. "You do know they're not the only gay ones here, right?" Connor interjected.

"Shhh, let Piper have her witty comeback. She lives for them," Jason nudged her side. Piper shot him a glare, but there was a sparkle of amusement in her eye.

Body Job

"You all piss me off," Nico growled. He rose from the bed, and a round of gasps followed because he was in pants, which meant they probably didn't fuck. "Yeah. Wearing pants. Now fuck off."

Everyone took that as his endearing way of telling them to get to work, but four people stayed inside. Will was fumbling around, looking for his shirt. When he picked it up, he said, "Oh, that's gross."

"Yeah. You weren't the best lightweight," Nico grimaced at the memory. He never said it, but last night scared him almost as much as it scared Will. "You can borrow a shirt of mine - I keep a few here. What do you two want?"

Silena smiles brightly. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, following Nico as he found items of clothing to wear. "Well, my brother is having a rough time at home. I was wondering if he could come hang out with us for the day?"

Nico paused, a deep frown already forming in his features. "What is with you people? This isn't the nicest place to 'hang out.'"

"Come on, please! He wants to meet Beckendorf, too, and he's picking me up from here, so..."

"You do let Jason tag along for no purpose most days," Connor pointed out. Nico sent him a scowl.

"Shut your trap, Stoll. What do you want anyway?"

"Package arrived. Chris said to give it to you." Conner tossed him a lightweight box. Nico hardly even remembered ordering something, but now that it was here, he remembered.

"Who's Chris?" Will asked.

"Cop."

"WHAT?"

Percy laughed. "Chill, bro. He used to be one of us a longgg time ago."

"Then he met Clarisse. She roughed him up enough to get his ass in line. So he finished high school and became a cop. She's going to do the same next year," Annabeth supplied.

"He's our inside man," Percy grinned.

"No. He's our inside man. You two no longer work here," Nico pointed out. "I'll send Grover in when I go out. He's got your stuff ready."

"Annabeth, can you go get him? I want to get this done quick," Percy said, leaning close to her ear as he spoke. This struck Nico as odd. He didn't miss the hand on the small of her back either.

"Sure, and when I get back, I'll have a look at your legs to see what broke them," she grinned almost giddily. Gosh, he couldn't remember seeing her smile with such excitement before. The moment she exited, Percy walked next to Nico in two strides. He pulled him aside for privacy. "Grover and I found the guy who - hurt Annabeth."

Nico's eyes grew wide. Suddenly, he understood the urgency in Percy's voice. Pulse racing, he had a bad idea of what was bouncing around in Percy's head. "You're sure?" He nodded. "Okay. Good. Let's get Thalia and Zoë up here tonight. I don't want to do anything without them leading. They've done this before."

Percy shook his head. "They'll tell Annabeth. Just me and you. Maybe Leo or the Stoll's to break in, but I don't want Annabeth in on this."

Nico frowned. "Why not? She's the smartest one here. Who is this dude anyways?"

Percy bore down on Nico. "He's some snooty rich guy on the upper east end of Manhattan. His security system is high-tech, sure, but-,"

"You've already been there? Percy...you can't be a part of this if they have you on camera."

"They didn't get me, okay?" He cursed under his breath. The green in his eyes was prominent as they grew more and more desperate. "Come on, Nico. We can't put her through the memories again."

He sighed heavily. Clearly, Percy underestimated Annabeth, and he had a good guess as to why. He gently rested a hand on his shoulder, "Percy, she's not as traumatized as you think. Odds are, she's had worse times with other clients. We're tough around here. I'm not doing it unless she knows. End of story. Give her the chance for revenge and get her advice so I won't get my ass sent to prison again, and I'll do it. Otherwise, I'm out."

"Nico, come on it's Anna-,"

He was cut off by Annabeth and Grover entering the cabin. She was talking animatedly to the glittery guy. Nico sent him a knowing look. Percy would do what was right in the end. His intentions were good, just misled.

Nico turned around and faced three waiting people. He quickly dashed into his 'office' and grabbed Will a long sleeve t shirt. It was growing colder drastically around there. After tossing him that, he faced Silena. "That's fine. Just make sure he stays hidden when cars are around."

Connor stood waiting with a package in hand. He tossed him the plastic and walked outside with Silena. Taking one giant breath of air, he opened he package and handed Will his sweatshirt. It was black with red trim and he word 'Medic' written in red ink on the back.

"Nico, this is - gods, this is amazing!" Will beamed excitedly, jumping three feet until he was in Nico's arms that were apparently screaming 'hug me.' Despite the hectic morning, he found the energy in him to laugh at the blonde's ecstatic behavior.

"You like it then?" Nico snorted, hugging Will tightly against his body, arms pressing against his lower back. Will beamed brightly, as if Nico had just gifted him the Golden Fleece.

"I love it," he rushed, pressing his lips against Nico's quickly. "Put it on for me!"

Nico fought against a smile as he helped Will into the jacket. The moment both arms were through, he smirked. "How do I look?"

Nico stepped back momentarily. He had to admit, Will looked good in his shirt and the camp's jacket. The colors made him have the darker edge that he constantly hid. Of course, Nico sort of fell in love with his buoyant, bright attitude (even if it caused most of their fights), but seeing a dark, lethal Will made Nico's stomach twist into knots.

"You look fucking hot, actually," Nico licked his lips. He walked to him and tugged at the ends of his jacket. It was a rippling leather material. He had a jacket similar to this, as did most of them. It was somewhere in the back, and he had a sudden urge to find it. Will smiled up at him, innocently enough, but he could see the dubious gleam in his eye.

"Do I? Hey, let me know how to thank you for this. Because I really love it."

A dirty smirk graced Nico's lips as he stepped forward again, pushing the backs of Will's knees to the edge of their unmade bed. "I know a few ways..."

Their lips were on each other's in a flash. Nico was falling over Will as he tasted the minty softness of his lips. And before Nico could even fully grab his butt, a chorus of groans, gags, and hacks sounded from the three people the two boys had clearly forgotten were even still in the room.

"Get a room!"

"Guyss!"

"We do not need to see that."

Nico grinned, pecking Will before hissing over his shoulder. "Bunch of homophobes."

"Oh fuck off!"

"You're hilarious, Nico."

"That's not funny."

Percy was the first to speak and Annabeth was the last. Nico found their remarks far too amusing. With a twinkling grin, he separated from Will. They walked out of the building together with matching looks of mischief.

"You're a good kisser," Will noted, struggling to keep his professional composure.

"I'm good at a lot of things. Want to find out a few?" Nico teased.

"Yeah. I really do." Will suddenly wasn't joking anymore. Will stopped walking and pulled Nico to a halt as well. He stared at him precariously, gauging his expression. Will's smile faltered. "Don't you?"

"I-," Nico would have continued his sentence, but there was a figure that caught his eye. There was an unmistakable, horrifying figure standing in the middle of the road.

"Oh gods, you don't, do you?"

"No! No, it's not - I have to deal with something," Nico muttered, unable to spare Will a glance as he pushed past him.

Nico walked on a war path to he picnic table while dialing up Thalia on his phone. She answered quickly. "Hey boss, what-,"

"Are you aware there's a man standing by the table? Watching us?"

Thalia sputtered hectically. "Uh, no! Wha-what do you mean? Nobody's walked past our cameras since last-,"

"Obviously, you're wrong! Get the fuck up here!"

Only a number of the others noticed the man. As Nico stormed toward him, everyone stopped picking up trash. They watched in what Nico assumed to be fear. He knew he was scared, but he had reason to be. Because this man was his father.

He was in a black cloak that reached the ground below his expensive shoes. Gold clasps kept it tied together, but underneath was an Armani black suit with the hint of a green sheen to it. He had a golf chain on his neck and a Rolex watch on his wrist.

Nico's blood was boiling. He didn't know what to do. He didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to think. But he did know his feet kept moving and his hands were clenched.

"Ah, ah, ah," his father, Hades, hissed. "I wouldn't advise that, if I were you." He lifted his cloak and flashed the Glock he was carrying. Nico's feet stopped immediately. They were fifteen feet apart, and that was still to close.

"What do you want?" Nico snarled. His body was shaking. It felt like he was going to puke.

"Just stopping by. You've grown up," Hades notes sadly. He gestured toward Nico's frame. "How sad."

Nico couldn't say anything. He felt like venom was coursing through his blood. Flashes of his sister's body as it hit the ground tormented. The smell of his mother's blood overpowered all of his sense.

"Nice little thing you've got going here. You might want to work on that security system. Nasty little thing, hackers are. I believe you've met mine, no?"

Nico clenched his jaw. Another onslaught of memories. "Thanatos? Oh come on. Surely you remember, Nicodemo!"

He couldn't speak. His throat was burning. His hands were shaking, dying to throttle his throat in, gun or no gun. But he couldn't do a thing.

"Aw well. It is a shame you work here. I'm not partial to sharing. Or letting certain jobs go unfinished." Hades lifted his head at the arrival of Thalia. She had two guns cocked and aimed. Hades smiled politically at her and showed two hands. "No worries, girl. Just paying my son a polite visit. See you around, Nico."

He disappeared back through the trees. Thalia kept in her stance, guns following his slow pace. "Do you want me to shoot?" His figure grew darker. "Nico. Do you want me to shoot?" They could cover it up easily. And if not, he would have taken the fall. It wouldn't have been his first time in jail. "Nico!" It would have been so much easier to shoot him. Surely that would end the nightmares and memories that haunted him, right? Surely he could move on, right? "He's about to step out of our surveillance range. Give me an answer."

It would have solved so many problems.

"Dammit." She dropped her guns and stomped over to Nico. "What the fuck? You know, I honestly trusted you. I thought, 'No, I'm too biased. I was too close to Bianca. Nico will be smart. Rational.' And now that he's gone?" she spat at his feet. "You weren't being smart. You were being a fucking coward."

She shoved against his chest and screamed in frustration, storming off into the woods again. Nico watched her go blankly. After she cleared out, small conversations occurred as everyone else rushed towards him.

"What was Thalia talking about?" Will was speaking.

"His sister, Bianca, dated Thalia," Piper hissed. They crowded around Nico, but he hardly heard them.

"Nico," Will reached for his hand. Nico flinched backwards, finally snapping into reality. He looked at everyone around them and grew angry.

His dad was back. His father who molested and raped him, who beat his mother to an accidental death when she found him doing so, who shot and intentionally murdered his sister when she found her mother lying lifeless on their kitchen floor, was back. He thought he left after the night of the murders. He thought he was a good as dead. Nico lived like he was dead. But here he was, the living dead.

The air was cold as it brushed his face. Nico realized with a start that he was moving. His hands found his motorcycle, and he realized what he needed to do. He wouldn't be a coward. He wouldn't.

* * *

 **A/N: I hope this was good for you guys. I'm going to reread parts of the story and hopefully that will inspire me! Leave me some sweet messages or helpful comments pleaseee and maybe it will help!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

 **Disclaimer: I only own the plot and any OC's, but I don't think this has any...**

* * *

Hazel screamed when she saw Nico at her front door.

"Nico! Oh my goodness! I've mis-,"

"Hades is back."

Her face drained of color, looking like an ashy brown. "W-what?"

Nico shoved past her into the living room. She lived in a nice place. Hazel always pretended she lived here alone, but Nico knew Frank lived there as well. There was no way Hazel would buy a house without having found someone to settle down with. He vaguely wondered if she'd get married without telling him someday. He wouldn't blame her for not wanting him at the wedding.

Frank was in the kitchen. It seemed like he was cooking some sort of pasta. When he saw Nico, he was so awestruck that he kept pouring the pasta in the water until it spilled over. "Darn," he said softly.

Gods, he was worse than Will. At least Will cussed. This was exactly why he hated visiting.

"Frank," Hazel squealed nervously. "Turn off the stove. I'll get some towels."

"I can get -,"

"No, no. I know where I keep them. You don't," she reminded him pointedly. Nico didn't have the energy to scoff at her antics of hiding the fact that he lived there. Most of the time, it was a little endearing. Tonight, he just wanted to leave. He wanted to leave the whole town and never come back. He really wanted to leave it all behind him, but that simply wasn't possible for him.

"Nico! I'm so glad you're back! I know you said -,"

"Hades is back."

Frank's mouth fell open and didn't move. He straightened up, readjusting his stance. "What do you mean?"

"I mean he showed up at my work and paid me a visit." He turned to Hazel. "Do you ever remember a tall man with yellow eyes who hung around Hades? His name is Thanatos, and he showed up a few weeks ago, too. They're back and they're planning something."

Frank frowned, crossing his arms as he tried to focus on the new information. Hazel hurriedly cleaned up the spilled water. "I do remember a man like that. He never did anything bad to me -,"

"Neither did Hades. But he did in our house."

Nico looked at Frank. "Doesn't it strike you odd that his best friend, who is nearing fifty, came all the way out to my work? Work with young boys?"

Frank tightened his stare. "Be careful what you say, Nico." He blew out a breath of air, pinching he bridge of his nose. Nico rolled his eyes. Frank was homicide. He'd worked his way far past prostitution. It would be below him to charge him with anything. "But that means nothing. While your men are technically underage, you aren't exactly 9 year olds. And that's Thanatos, not Hades."

Nico slammed his hand on the table. "Dammit, Frank! Why don't you believe me? I'm not a kid anymore! I'm not making it up! There was no serial killer at our house. The only killer there was my father!"

Frank ran his hands through his hair and glanced wearily at Hazel. "Your father was cleared by people higher up than me. It was my first job, Nico. I wasn't exactly the best on the job back then. You could have made up a story as a boy and now your mind's ran with it. I - I want to believe you, but you have no evidence."

"You're a shitty cop if you think there's no evidence. He murdered two people! He -," Nico had trouble breathing again. He felt the stinging sensation in his eyes, but he refused to cry. He was angry. He was so angry he was near tears because nobody would fucking believe him! "You know what? Fuck you. Can't say I didn't warn you. You know what Hades said to me today? He hated leaving jobs unfinished. Who knows. Maybe I'm next. Or...maybe Hazel. She's his family, too. And it will be all your fault."

He turned on his heels and fumed his way outside. Hazel called after him, tears clogging her voice, but he didn't stop. He couldn't stop. The tears of rage were burning his cheeks, and he needed to get away from them.

. . .

Nico got back late that night. There were noticeably less people in the dark field. The air was full of worried tension. Only Leo, Jason, and Piper sat on the picnic table. Leo had his wrist wrapped up tightly, clearly the work of Will.

"Travis and Silena are in two of the three cars," Piper hopped off the table and walked with Nico toward the cabin. "Silena's brother, Michael is in the cabin helping Conner. A guy pulled out a big chunk of his hair and he's freaking out, and -,"

"He pulled out a chunk of his hair?" Nico repeated. "Did-?"

"Clarisse threw him out after a few hits with her bat," Piper concluded definitely. Nico huffed and nodded. He'd been gone most of the day, but he hadn't expected so much to happen in one day.

"Okay. Jason's still staying out of the way when clients come?" Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He gets it," she said. "He's actually handled your share of the money for today."

Nico gritted his teeth. "Okay tell him he can have half then."

She shook her head. "He doesn't want it. I already offered."

Nico snorted. "Right. Forgot you got yourself a rich kid boyfriend." Piper's smile dropped a few millimeters. "Have you had any business?"

"Three."

They made it to the cabin. "You know you can leave then, right?" Her eyes flirted to his with that brilliant smile she owned. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "You know I'm gay, right? Being cute won't help your plead."

She frowned with a pout. "Fine. Jason invited me to his family dinner tomorrow. I know I'm supposed to work, but if I did overtime tonight then...?"

"Go ahead," he said, pushing open the door to the cabin. "Piper...are you sure he's okay with all of this?"

She tilted her head to the side. "As much as I am. It's not really a choice for me. You know that."

He did know that. He knew that her mother abandoned her at birth. He knew that at ten years old her father died. He knew that Leo's mom took her in after that until she died. He knew that Leo and Piper scrounged the street for two years until they found him. He knew she had no high school education despite how incredibly smart she (and Leo) was. He knew that nearly no job would take her. He knew all this.

"Right. But for a rich boy like Jason...it is an option."

She breathed in deeply and narrowed her gaze. "I'm not Jason. Is that all?"

"Yeah." Nico entered the cabin with a worried mind. Jason had been understanding so far, but everyone had a breaking point. Piper would never see it coming, either.

"How can he do this to you!?" A high pitched voice shouted. "It-it's inhumane!"

"I don't know. It's kind of badass."

"Ba-badass? Conner, you look like you've just been attacked by a chihuahua!"

"Exactly! Badass."

"Ugh!"

Laughter like he'd never heard come from Conner radiated from the bathroom. Nico made his way towards the voices. Sitting on the sink counter was Conner Stoll, and in front of him with a pair of scissors and brush was who Nico could only assume was Silena's brother Michael. And Conner was giving him he smile he gave to clients when he really needed some money.

"This is absolutely horrid!"

"What's going on?" Nico grunted, arms crossing over his chest. "You're going to rebreak the sink."

"That'd actually be helpful to your bathroom," Michael bubbled with laughter. Connor laughed despite the obvious lack of hilarity to his words.

"Mmm. Budget cuts. Terrible," Nico said with a dead voice. He leaned around Michael's miniature frame to eye Conner's hair. "Damn. That's ugly."

"Oh thanks," Conner huffed, running his hands through his hair (or lack thereof). Michael whipped around with eyes of fury. Nico was more alarmed with his purple eyes. They didn't look fake, but he had to wonder. Sure, they were striking, but Nico found it simply overwhelming whereas Will's eyes completed his warm, sunny features like a cherry on top of an ice cream Sunday. His hair was spiked and styled perfectly alongside his retro hipster look.

"Shut up, he still looks hot, just a little bit deformed. It's okay. You've got me! I can fix him. It'll be an entirely new look, but you have the best stylist on your hands. Michael Beauregard, nice to meet you...?"

"That's Nico," Conner leaned forward, hand ltapping Michael on the shoulder. "He's dating Will."

Michael pouted momentarily. "Damn. Well, you're a little bit dark for me anyway. Will on the other hand..."

"Watch it," Conner muttered nervously.

Nico glared at Conner. "Who the hell said we're dating now?"

He shrugged. "Just assumed. You're not fucking, but you're making out and spending the night together? It looks like dating to me."

Nico's frown increased. He knew gossip was inevitable among them, but it didn't take away how much he hated it.

"Oh come on, you wouldn't hit and quit with a cutie like Will. Nobody could purposefully break his little heart. He's a peach."

Nico suddenly hated peaches.

"Can you shut up about him already? Just - fix him and shut up," Nico growled.

"Ooo. Protective boyfriend. Hot!" Michael snickered. He turned to Conner and made a tsk-tsk sound. "Now. For you...how do you feel about a fade? It looks a little douche-y, but at least it won't look ratchet."

Nico shut them in the bathroom in hopes of not hearing more about how hot and adorable and innocent Will was. He hadn't been able to think about Will all day, but it wasn't like he didn't know how attractive he was!

Now that he was back, though, he did wonder where Will went off to. So he walked back to the bathroom and opened the door onto Conner and Michael heavily making out. They both jumped apart with a scream, Michael nearly falling into the toilet and Connor slamming his head on the mirror.

"At least put the fucking scissors down!" He swore making these people were like manning children. Blushing, Michael turned around and set the pointy objects on the toilet seat. Nico rolled his eyes. "Just - where is m - where is Will?"

Conner snorted, wiping at his lips. "His Mom OD'd. Said he had to go. Something along the lines of needing his signature to get her into rehab."

Nico grunted in response. "Ok." He turned to go, which was followed by whispers of worry from Michael.

Nico called over his shoulder, "Just don't break the mirror. We just stole a new one."

"Y-you don't care we're doing this? Here? And like, for free?"

Nico turned around with a smirk on his lips. "You won't be the first and you won't be the last." Then, he shut the door and went back outside. Grover was by the picnic table with keys in his hand. When he saw Nico, he jumped and jogged over.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know I got Annabeth and Percy into the summer college classes here and if they do well in those, they'll have a spot for the fall semester. For the meantime, I got Annabeth a waitressing job at the diner and Percy is bar tending."

Nico almost had forgotten Percy turned 21 last fall. Annabeth was a year younger, but they were still older than he was. It was a little unsettling for reasons he didn't understand.

"Good. Thanks, Grover. Go head home," Nico patted him on the back distantly. Nico sat outside for the early hours of the night, dealing with the few customers with more caution than usual. His dad had him spooked, and even if Zoë was watching everyone intently, he didn't want to let his guard down. Eventually, he went back inside and called Will. He didn't answer.

When he went back outside, he made his way to Jason. He and Travis were sitting tiredly on the table. Nico glanced at his watch and realized it was already two in the morning. "How long has it been since somebody's came?"

"Almost two hours. These guys should be done soon," Jason yawned. Nico nodded in agreement. "We're closing early tonight. Doubt anyone else comes. I'll have Thalia put up a sign..."

"Really? Sweet! Where my brother? We're sleeping good tonight!"

Nico rubbed at his eyes. "Probably fucking Michael again."

Travis' eyes went wide. "Ew. We're not that close."

Nico and Jason both looked at him like he'd just said 2+2=fish. "You do threesomes all the time!"

"Which is partly even more disgusting than a regular threesome because you're related!"

"Well we never fuck each other! It's not that incest-y!"

At that time, Silena walked back over without pants on. She let her shirt hang down longer than normal, and she didn't look very happy. "Nico, I can't do anymore tonight. I seriously think he was trying to make me bleed."

"It's all good. We're closing early tonight," Jason said. "Do you know if Piper was almost finished?"

She sent him a sour look and pulled out her phone. "How should I know?"

Jason slumped and glanced at his phone, typing away. Nico watched as Piper eventually came back looking like she'd just walked back from a war battle. Jason and she left in his car quickly after. It took the Stoll brothers longer to leave simply because Conner wanted to wait until Michael had a ride home. His ride was also Silena's ride, Beckendorf.

He rolled up in his Jeep with squinting eyes. Silena walked over slowly and hugged him. He hugged back in a dazed, distant state. "Where are your pants?"

Flustered and blushing, she ran a hand through her hair. "It's a long story. They ripped."

"Ripped? What are you doing here that rips your pants, babe?" Beckendorf asked with a laugh. When nobody joined him, the laughter died. He looked around at everyone remaining. Silena stood there with dark rings under her eyes and hair a total wreck. "What are you all doing here anyway?" Nobody answered. Most were all terrified of the large man before them. Nico was weary at the most. He'd seen plenty of beefed up men in jail. He had pity for Silena, but this was her problem. He told her Beckendorf wouldn't like being lied to. She should have told the man a long time ago.

"It's two in the fucking morning and my girlfriend looks like she just got beat up. Now. What did you all do?"

"Nothing!" Silena pushed back her hair. "They did nothing, Charles. Come on. I'll explain on the ride home."

The angry man sent every single person a death glare that could match Percy's before he wrapped a possessive arm around Silena's shoulder and walked towards the car.

"Charles, this is my brother, Michael. Michael, this is my boyfriend."

"Beckendorf," he said wearily. "Why don't you live with your mom, too?"

"We're half siblings..."

Their voices fades away. Once they took off in their jeep, the Stoll brothers pounded Nico on the back and walked to their own jeep, chattering about their next biggest prank.

"Hey, Zoë, we're closing early tonight. Go ahead and lock up."

"Will do," she confirmed in a soldierly attitude. "You could easily have a place of your own. I've seen how much we make. If you took-,"

"I prefer my privacy, Zoë." He said in a cold tone. Thalia and Zoë were the only two who knew he lived in the cabin. They sort of had to considering they were the ones to close up every night. It was unnerving, but he swore them to silence, and they followed through.

"Yes, Sir, I know. I'm asking because of your father's visit. From strictly a guard standpoint, it'd be smarter if you stayed elsewhere tonight. I'm sure Will -,"

"Zoë. I'm tired, but I'm not stupid. I can watch after myself, thanks."

She huffed hotly. "Right. My advice? Sleep with a gun tonight."

"Always do," he smiled cheekily despite her being unable to see him.

"Not loaded!" She added squeakily. Nico walked into the cabin with a frown.

"That's just stupid," he scoffed. If he had kids or anyone else with him, that'd be understandable. It was an odd comment coming from someone normally so un-protective of Nico. "Good night, Zoë."

"Bu-,"

He ended the call.

Nico looked the door to the cabin and got a shower. He purposefully didn't check his phone because he really didn't want to see that Will hadn't answered him all evening. Maybe he was made Nico ran off without him. But could he really blame Nico? He supposed maybe he couldn't. After all, Will only had the slightest taste of how horrific Hades was.

But eventually, he ran out of nightly activities to do. Unlocking his 'office,' Nico eyed his drawing easel. He hadn't touched it in weeks. The last thing he drew was the design for Will's jacket. If he had more energy, Nico wanted to complete the drawing by adding Will in it. Instead, he hopped on the bed and doodled a quick sketch of Will grinning face in front of a sunset. He'd color it tomorrow. For tonight, it was enough to make him believe Will was with him.

He checked his phone and, as expected, there were no calls or texts. He sent Will another text saying goodnight and that he hoped his mom was okay. It was a little selfish on his part. Really, he just wanted to remind Will that he was, in fact, alive.

He checked to make sure the gun under his mattress was still loaded. Then, he went to sleep.

* * *

 **A/N: I know. It's incredibly short. I'm so sorry! It's because I have a WONDERFUL surprise in the next chapter! You will loveeee it! And because the updates are almost to the point of where I've written. I'm working on it, I'm sorry. Both of my stories are at the climaxes, which are my least favorite parts to write. Idk why. I'd so love to just stick with cute stuff and smut, but that's also boring. There has to be a bigger message!**

 **Rambling, sorry. Anyways, give me some love and I promise to post the next chapter within the week! I'm thinking like fiveeee gooood reviews? I just love to hear feedback in hopes of getting better!**

 **xoxo**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and OC's.**

 **Warning: aye you know what this means. It gets a lil smexyyy. Actually, it gets pretty graphic, so if that's not what you want to read, just stop when it gets uncomfortable. You don't miss much at the end. But do read the beginning until you want to stop. You've been warned.**

* * *

A sound made Nico drift from his deep sleep. Then, a warm hand pressed into Nico's back. Within seconds, he shoved off the bed, slipped his hand under the mattress, cocked the gun, and aimed at the forehead of the man breaking into his room.

Will Solace stood with his hands in the air and eyes squinted shut. "Don't shoot!"

"Will, what the fuck?" Nico hurriedly emptied the chamber and slid it into his hoodie pocket it before pulling Will to him. "Don't scare me like that. I could have shot you!"

"I'm sorry," Will panted, hugging him back tightly. "I just - I needed to see you."

"You stupid fuck," Nico breathed, pulling back and pressing his hand against Will's face to stabilize him. He quickly pressed his lips to Will's, savoring the feel of their warmth against his. "How did you even get past the security?"

Will's lips lifted slightly. "Got Zoë to shut it off for me. Temporarily, no worries," Will said with a smug smile. Nico couldn't help but grin as well. Since Hades' appearance, Thalia, Clarissa, and Charlie already began to up their security by doubling up on the cameras and adding booby traps in the woods. And Will got through them all.

"I'm that irresistible, huh?" Nico steppes forward so that their hips were now touching. Will laughed nervously.

"A little." He confessed with blushing cheeks. "And I was worried."

"Worried about me?" Nico scoffed, running his fingers down his cheeks until they rested at his shoulders. "Are you okay? Your mom...is it true? She's in rehab?"

Will bit his lip and shook his head. He separated from Nico to sit on the edge of the bed. His hands were shaking. For a while, he didn't speak, only stared at his hands. Nico sat beside him precariously, knowledgeable enough to understand he was about to say something bad. If he moved, he'd say it, and pretending like things were okay meant Nico could pretend Will was okay.

"She's in a medical coma. She died four times before the operating room, and her brain is swollen, so they're giving her time to heal before they take it out. The OD was bad enough, but without the drug in her system for a few hours she had even worse withdrawal problems..."

"Will," Nico muttered, voice so quiet in the dark night. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"I hate it," Will's voice was choked with tears. He looked at Nico pleadingly, like he could stop everything from coming apart in his life. Nico would have given everything to do that. "I used to love her, you know? I used to - now I hate her. I hate her drugs and friends and...I hate my dad. I hate him because he's gone, and he took her and left me with the shell of my mother and...I hate it."

His voice was flat and dead, devoid of all emotions. It was completely contradictory because his eyes were brilliantly bright blue and spilling tears over his cheeks. Pain radiated from Nico's heart because _dammit_ this angelic boy should not be crying.

"I know," Nico could only agree. He swiped under Will's eyes and wiped away the tears. "I hate it, too. You didn't deserve to have your life taken from you."

Will shook his head and forced away his pain, but Nico knew that look. He lived that look. It wasn't gone. It was just hiding.

"Neither did you," he whispered, leaning closer and brushing a strand of Nico's locks away from his face. "Will you ever tell me how you started this? How you got put in jail?"

Nico gritted his teeth because he'd never talked about it before. Everyone either knew or didn't ask. It wasn't any of their business. But this was Will. How could he say no? And wasn't it partly his business? Nico didn't know boyfriend rules, but he knew Will, and he couldn't say no to him.

"Later, Will. It's too late for that now," Nico rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "It's been a long day."

"I know. Your dad...are you - how can I help?" Will rested a hand on his knee in complete comfort. Nico felt a little relief from the constant thoughts and worries about what his father's return meant. But it was a brief relief, and soon the pressing pain pounded within his head.

Nico suddenly turned on Will. "I need you," he spoke hollowly. His throat felt clogged, like he was on the verge of crying. He refused to cry.

"You have me, Nico. You always do," Will insisted, hands cradling his face in an assuring gesture.

"No, Will," Nico whispered. He took his hand and placed it above Will's knee, slowly moving upward. Their bodies seemed to move closer and closer together. "I _need_ you."

Will gulped audibly. His cheeks flushed a violent shade of red. It took him a few seconds to center himself. "You've always had me," he purred softly, hands twining into Nico's hair. In seconds, Will was straddling Nico's lap, pressing their bodies against each other, muscle on muscle, skin to heat. "So take me."

A wry grin spread over Nico's cheeks. His head instantly cleared to make room for all thoughts of only Will Solace. He was so bright, so much, so amazing. And Nico wanted every part of him.

In seconds, Nico stood and threw Will on the bed. He ripped off his hoodie and pounced on the grinning blonde. Their lips collided like waves on the beach in an alluring but powerful rhythm. Nico tasted a hint if vanilla on his soft lips that he soon memorized the entire feel of. Will's hands were running up and down Nico's chest, as if their time was limited.

Not tonight, Nico groaned as Will's fingers scratched at his back. Tonight, Will was his, for however long he wanted.

Nico pulled Will's tank top off so fast it ripped a little, but neither of them stopped to worry. Underneath was tanned skin coating a perfect set of abs. It wasn't even a choice for Nico to kiss his way down towards them. High pitched whimpers sounded as he sucked along his neck, and his finger nails would definitely leave marks on his back.

He paused at Will's nipple, small and hard. Looking up, Will was watching him with panting breaths, clearly lost in the new territory. Nico almost pitied the fact that the few times he'd done anything, it was obviously with a rookie who knew nothing. With a mischievous grin, Nico flicked his tongue at his nipple, pinching the other simultaneously.

"Ah - oh my gods," Will shuddered, eyes wide. "Wha - gods, Nico!"

Nico closed his eyes and gently bit his nipple while massaging it with his tongue. Will was squirming relentlessly beneath him. For once, Nico felt immense pride and satisfaction at being the cause of a man's eccentric behavior.

After Will seemed to become hysteric, Nico moved downward to his own delights. Up close, Will's abs were more impressive. Running his tongue up and down them, he kept his eyes locked on Will's transfixed blue orbs.

"You're so beautiful, baby," Nico breathed into his hard skin. Will shivered as Nico unzipped his jeans. He was breathing heaving, though Nico had no way of knowing if it was from nerves or excitement. When he freed Will of his jeans, his fingers slipped underneath his boxers. "You okay?"

Will nodded profusely, but then he stopped Nico with his hand. "I just - I want to do this to you." Nico frowned, unused to hearing that. He moved back up to Will's lips and kissed him slowly.

"You can do whatever you want, Solace," Nico presses his lips to his, enjoying the plushy feel against his. "You call the shots."

Will opened his mouth and then closed it. "Actually, can you call the shots? I - I don't know what I'm doing," Will whispered in secret. Nico grinned widely because he was so adorable. "And you probably do, not to be rude or-,"

Nico kissed him quickly, rolling on top of him and reaching around to grab his ass. "One question," he murmured against Will's lips. "Top or bottom?"

Will sort of froze, stuck between choices. Nico chuckled, head falling into his shoulder. He was too adorable with his wide eyes and unsure expressions. "Not for forever, Will," he promised with a kiss to his cheek. "Tonight. What do you want to do tonight?"

Will again seemed unsure. "W-what do you want?" Nico raised an eyebrow expectantly. "Because, I mean, I didn't figure you got to top a ton in your job before...and I don't know how to – er – you know – it might just be best if you..."

Nico smirked, moving so his lips brushed his ear as he spoke. "You could have just said you want my dick inside you, you know."

Will groaned, pushing his hips upward to meet Nico's. He bit his lip. "Y-yeah. I want that. If you don't mind."

Nico laughed again. He lowered his hips so Will could feel just how much he wanted him. " _Tutto quello che vuoi, amore mio_."

 _Whatever you want, my love_.

Will gaped at him, fingers tightening their hold on his back. "Y-you speak Italian." Nico nodded as he moved back down his body, pressing kisses here and there. "That's so hot. Fuck."

Nico grinned. He'd remember that for later. Now, though, he yanked down Will's underwear, not holding back on his devious smile. He took it slowly, running his tongue up from the base in a teasing way. Meanwhile, his hands cupped his balls, tugging in the slightest way. Will whimpered, as if in addictive pain. When Nico fully took him in his mouth, he groaned, thrusting his hips upward in effort to gain more sensation.

Nico could tell he wouldn't last long. His hands were in his black locks, pulling harder as Nico went faster. He bobbed his head up and down Will's hard shaft, every now and then stopping and running his tongue in obsolete circles around his head.

"Gods, Nico," Will struggled to hold on. Nico released him momentarily to speak, eyes locked on Will's.

 _"_ _Venire per me, tesoro."_

 _Come for me, boyfriend._

Will groaned loudly as Nico went all the way down on him. Nico's eyes flickered up to Will, who was staring at him like he had some godly talent. He did it again. And again. And then, Will's hands pulled so tight at Nico's hair he thought he'd rip it out. Expertly, Nico swirled his tongue around his tip and squeezed his shaft with his hand, and then Will came. Nico licked up the salty substance swiftly, for once not having to worry about catching an STD.

When Will was done, he moved back up, hands drawing smooth lines over Will's exhausted body. "Damn, Nico," Will propped himself up on his elbows. "That was amazing."

Nico smirked, pressing a kiss to Will's lips. "You're amazing."

Will pushed off the bed and rolled over so he was straddling Nico. "As amazing as that was," he leaned forward and spoke in hushed whispers against his neck. His eyes flickered up to his, the blue blindingly honest and eager. "I still want you inside me."

Desire coursed through Nico. His hands grabbed Will's ass, squeezing the fit boy until he could memorize every aspect of it. "Mhmm. I like this Will. Dirty. Hot," Nico breathed heavily. "Are you ready? Like _ready, ready_?"

Will paused momentarily, trying to understand Nico's implication, and then it hit him. He slammed his hand to his face. "Fuck, no! I didn't think - ,"

Nico laughed hilariously because he'd guessed exactly that would happen. "Use my bathroom. Everything's in there _and sterile_."

"You're a peach," Will beamed with relief. "Be right back. Love you." He pecked a stunned Nico's lips and disappeared into the bathroom to their right.

He just said 'love you.' Nico shouldn't have been so shocked. After all, he'd _accidentally_ called him 'my love' in Italian, but that was different. Will couldn't have understood him when he said it, so it didn't count. Maybe it was an accident for Will. It could have easily just slipped out. He was saying bye after Nico gave him an orgasm. Of course his brain and emotions would get fuzzy.

There was a small, remote part of him that felt minor relief. At least Nico wasn't crazy for wondering if he was already in love with Will. They hadn't even slept together yet, but maybe that didn't matter. Maybe it was more than that, more than purely physical attractions.

When Will opened the bathroom door five minutes later with a radiant smile that could compete with Aphrodite herself, Nico didn't know how he could even question it. He was hopelessly in love with that beautiful boy there. It was more frightening than he'd expected. He knew if he didn't have him, he'd be in excruciating pain and worry.

"You're damn sexy, Nico, you know that?" Will giggled excitedly as he jumped on the bed. His hands ran over his toned stomach, tracing the lines of his tattoos. "And you're an amazing artist. These just keep getting more and more incredible."

"Are we together?" Nico blurted suddenly. His face flushed red at the comment. It was rather sudden, but Will didn't pay that any mind. He smiled easily and rested his head on his chest.

"I don't know." Will muttered. "I'm not seeing anyone else, and I don't want to...are you?"

His eyes were wide and hopeful. Well, how could Nico ever crush his hope? That'd be the equivalent to murder.

He smiled, stressed but relieved. "No. Never."

"Then we're together," Will smiled happily. He rolled over so he was directly on his chest. "You know what boyfriends have to do to make it official, right?" Nico almost cringed at the word boyfriend. It so inaccurately described what they were. Will and Nico...they were so much more. "We have to consummate it."

Nico stared at him, waiting for an explanation.

Will sighed in exasperation. "Fuck, Nico! We have to fuck!"

" _Naturalmente, fidanzato,"_ Nico chuckled, bringing his hands up to Will's cheeks and running lightly over them. " _Naturalmente_."

 _Of course, boyfriend. Of course_

His lips ghosted over his jaw all the way to his lips. Will slammed them together in a fiery heat new to the blonde. Their tongues slid over the other's in an eager fight for dominance.

Will let his lower body fall on Nico, and that flipped the switch for him. Nico gripped his ass, groaning at the feel. In seconds, he flipped them over and pulled off his boxers, far too eager to for the man below him.

Will wrapped his legs around Nico's waist and pulled him down. He began sucking on his neck, creating an alluring tug in Nico's stomach. Their bodies were hot against each other, both becoming quickly breathless.

It didn't take long for either of them to get hard. Nico groaned loudly at the feel of Will's hard dick against his body. Their pre-cum mixing, Nico couldn't take much more build up.

He brought Will's lips back up to his, kissing him with more urgency than he could remember. Will's free hand fumbled in the bucket beside the bed, finding a condom and some lube with impressive speed. Meanwhile, Nico's fingers played lightly with his nipples, enjoying the way he tensed when he squeezed them.

"Now, Nico," Will hissed, eyes dark with lust. "I need your dick in me now."

"Gods, I love your dirty fucking mouth, Solace," Nico said back in a pained response. His dick was pounding with need. "What do you want, baby?"

Will seemed unsure of this request, as if he couldn't do it. Nico solved that problem by kicking Will's legs open and running a hand between them teasingly. Will's eyes fluttered shut with bliss. "Fuck, Nico! Gods...I want your fingers in my ass. I want you to stretch me out for your cock, babe. Then, gods, I _need_ you inside me. Fuck me, _hard_."

The way the words rolled off his red, swollen lips made Nico think he'd come then and there. He braced himself over Will with one hand. Then, he held two fingers in front of Will's mouth. "Suck."

Will's tongue swirled around his two fingers briefly before Nico slowly stuck one finger in Will's hole. It'd been a while judging from the sudden contortion of Will's face. But Nico knew it'd pass. He focused on distracting him by sucking on his bare nipple. Will was quickly back in it, so Nico stuck the other finger inside him.

He'd never felt a more perfect hole. He was tight, but his body responded to his fingers well as he scissored left and right. Will was panting below him, eyes closed with anticipation. "Nico, please!"

He was begging for it now.

Once Nico was satisfied with his work, he pushed his fingers in a little more and found the little walnut-like bundle of tissue. In two strokes, he had Will moaning, back arched and body tense.

With a smug chuckle, Nico pulled his fingers out and grabbed a condom. Will threw the bottle of lube at him the moment he got the condom on. Nico lathered both his hole and his dick before climbing back over Will.

"You ready?" He breathed, suddenly feeling guilty. He was about to hurt Will, the kindest person on earth.

"Yes," Will whispered, spreading his legs to give Nico more access. Gods, he was adorably hot. Nico ghosted his lips up his jaw and to his lips. Will kissed him back eagerly, lips conforming to lips. Nico lined his member up with Will's hole, doing his best to distract Will. Then, he pushed into him completely.

It'd been so long since Nico got to top, he'd almost forgotten the overwhelming sensation it was to be sheathed in such a tight area. "Fuck," he breathed, trying to will away the urge to orgasm. He owed more to Will than to last one second.

Will had taken that with less trouble than Nico expected. At first, he gasped in shock, but it quickly melted away. "Nico," Will hissed, almost like he didn't dare to move. Nico grunted in response, closing his eyes and trying to imagine an old, saggy grandma. "Nico, it kind of stings and, like, can you move so it feels good again?"

Nico shook his head, biting his lip and trying to hold back. At this point, it was painful. "Nope," he muttered, hating that he even had to say it. "If I move, I come. O-one sec." When he finally opened his eyes, Will was grinning ruefully. "Get that smug look off your face. It's ugly."

"No it's not," Will grinned.

"No it's not," Nico agreed with irritation. Thankfully, it seemed to get his mind off it. He bent down and kissed Will absentmindedly, and then he moved deeper into Will, eliciting a squeal from him.

"Gods, yes," Will spoke into his lips. Nico moved slowly at first, but then Will's fingers dug so deep into Nico's back he had no choice but to pick up his pace. Sliding in and out of a tight hole was a feeling Nico had long ago missed. It was constant pressure, constant sensation. "Nico, babe," Will keened as Nico shifted his angle upward a hint. "R-right there. Ohmygods, please!"

Will had no idea how loud and pleading his words sounded, and he had no idea the effect it had on Nico. Like something took over him, Nico grabbed Will's legs and lifted them above his shoulders. He thrust into him with full force, manifesting a loud shout from Will.

"Scream my name," Nico grunted as he increased his speed. "Scream it when you come, Will. I love your voice."

It was a struggle to open his eyes, but Will finally did. He stared up at Nico with a face in the shape of pure pleasure. It was a fleeting glance, however, because with every thrust into him, Nico rammed against his prostate.

"Oh gods," Will whimpered, body tensing tightly and uncontrollably. Nico grinned; this was his favorite part. "Keep talking. Dirty. I'm - so close..."

Nico pressed his legs down to get closer to Will, voice as low and demanding as it got. "You love my dick inside you, don't you?"

"Gods, I love it," Will begged.

Nico reached down and cupped Will's balls. "Come, Solace. Come all over me, baby."

Nico squeezed his balls with more pressure, and Will's eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head. "Nico," Will cried out, fingers digging into his forearms. "Nicooooh my gods!"

The sounds danced in his ears. He felt the familiar heat in his dick pulse with fire. As Will's eyes fluttered from shock, his mouth held open in a gratefully wide smile, Nico felt himself being pulled under by his charm.

Suddenly, Will pushed Nico over. Eyes wide, Nico let him act with dominance. "Let me ride you, Neeks."

Somehow, he really liked that name at the moment despite not appreciating it before. Nico nodded furiously, afraid he'd come before Will even got the chance. Legs straddling the Italian, Will slowly raised himself up and down on Nico's shaft, forcing Nico's eyes to close in awe. It felt like heaven, and he had to do no work to get it. Will's hands pressed into Nico's chest, and he increased his speed.

"Gods, Will, don't stop," Nico thrust his hips up to meet Will's ass. Will increased his speed, and so did Nico. Soon, it was erratic and out of control. The heat was everywhere. Nico clenched his jaw and let out a groan of absolute pleasure, fingers digging into Will's hips so hard he'd leave impressive sex trophies as his world became blindingly white.

Will continued riding him out slowly, obviously unsure what to do with himself. Once Nico got his head screwed back on straight, he grabbed Will's arms and pulled him to lie on his chest.

"Nico - the cum...it'll make a mess," Will said uncomfortably. Nico shook his head and pressed his lips to Will's bruised ones.

"I don't care," he said into his lips.

"It's unsanitary!"

Nico opened his eyes and smirked at his adorable blonde. "Your cum. My cum. Mixing. It's hot, Will."

Will raised an eyebrow. "You're so weird," he mumbled as he rested his head on Nico's chest.

"You love it."

"I do," Will said with causal sincerity. He let a yawn escape his lips, eyes flickering closed. "Just like I love you."

It took Nico a few minutes to process his words. By then, Will's breathing evened out, and his arms loosened their grip around his chest slightly. He'd said it outright and in the open.

And Nico didn't say anything back.

He wanted to. He knew he loved Will. He loved him more than he loved himself. The amount he loved him was unhealthy. That was undeniable. But when he went to tell him, the words got stuck in his throat. It burned, not telling him, but it also felt like he'd puke. Because loving someone like Will, someone so pure and innocent meant Nico was weakened. He had a weak point. And once he admitted out loud to it, there was no telling how much weaker anyone could make him.

There was no telling how fast Will would be taken from him.

And that thought paralyzed him.

* * *

 **A/N: WELL did you guys like that scene? I did. I think it was time and as hot as I'd hoped it would be. Thank you for being there for me and appreciating my writing. Please, give me feedback on this. I don't do many smut scenes, though, so if it's rough, welllll it's not the end of the world. I only include it if I think the story requires it, and this is a dark story based around sex. It's only fitting, right?**

 **Anyways, you guys are the best and so patient. Sadly, we are nearing the end of where I've written. I'm hoping to get back into this and finish this story, but inspiration is hard to come by. Please, give me some love! I will do my best, but I want to end this well. I think it's one of my better stories on here.**

 **Also: I might be posting a new Solangelo short story, which is quite more innocent than this!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot and OC's.**

 **A/N: I'm back bitches :)**

* * *

Nico felt soft lips press into his skin and jolted awake.

Breathing heavily, he looked behind him and was surprised to find Will Solace staring back at him with amused, glinting eyes. Relief flooded through his chest.

"Hey baby," Will grinned. Nico lied back down and snorted.

"Sorry," Nico mumbled. "Not used to that."

Will rolled on top of his chest and smiled. "I know. Maybe we can change that."

"Good luck," Nico ran a hand through his hair tiredly. He cringed as he felt the still slightly sticky mess circulating around his groin. "But sleeping in prison for three months when half the guys there tried to fuck you makes you a little…"

"Jumpy," Will summed up apologetically. The sun was shining on his golden hair in a hypnotic way, making it seem as if he had a halo around his head. "So, how did you get arrested?" This question had been building for a while, but Nico still didn't know how to answer it. He looked into those shining blue eyes that were just so innocent. Will gave him a small smile and brushed hair out of Nico's eyes. "I can handle it, you know. Actually, it makes you even more of a badass, which is hella hot."

"You just said hella. How can you be this gay this early in the morning?" Nico scooted up so he was sitting. Following suit, Will straddled his waist and wrapped his arms around his neck. After pecking his lips, Nico leaned back and gauged how to approach such a cheerful person.

"Somebody has to counteract your masculinity," Will snorted, pressing his lips to Nico's again. It brought back memories of last night, of how good his lips felt all over Nico's body and how much he wanted to repeat it. Gripping Will's ass firmly, Nico rolled his eyes.

"My arrest story isn't hot," he sighed, shifting his hips and relishing the feeling of skin on skin. "It's pathetic."

Will placed a hand to his cheek and said with such deep honesty it hurt. "It's you. I want to know everything I can about you. It's made you who you are."

Nico's eyes searched Will's for any hint of a lie. When he didn't find any, he sat back with a smirk. "Fine," he breathed, mind probing for the memories. "After my mom and sister died, I – couldn't go home. After a week or so, Thalia found me on the streets. She took me here. Luke Castellan was running it at the time. Luke told me I could stay for free. I don't know why, maybe out of pity. But I didn't want pity. I wanted to forget. So I jumped in and started working for a few years. And the serial killings kept growing and growing. Luke got paranoid, but we had to keep this place open or we'd starve. And one day…Luke disappeared. By then, I had a pathetic thing for him, and I was almost the only person out looking for him. I knew what happened. There was a bullet hole in the door and a lock of hair outside, which I guess had fallen out of the killer's grasp."

Mouth falling open, Will gaped at him. "That's the same MO as the Half Blood killer."

Nico nodded. "Exactly. But Luke was a useless prostitute in the cop's eyes. He was nothing to them except some run away. They weren't even trying, so I went up to a cop and the next thing I remember is my fist slamming into his face. Instant 3 months."

Will pursed his lips, slowly digesting Nico's backstory. He'd never had to explain his life before. Everyone at Half Blood Hill either knew or pieced it together bit by bit. Trying to sum up his traumatic events into a small story fitted for Will's ears was unsettling. There was so much more that went on than that.

Suddenly, Will's eyes were in front of Nico's again, shifting nervously. "Can I ask you something?"

Nico narrowed his gaze. "Yes. But I make no promises of answering."

Will's lips lifted on one side, but they quickly fell. His gaze moved to the tattoos on Nico's shoulder. It felt like they'd been building up to this moment for hours, and from the deep breaths Will was taking, it couldn't be easy.

"Did your – did Hades molest you?" Will blurted, eyes shooting up to Nico's in fear, as if he'd react violently to the question. He rambled on. "I just…a while back, I made you angry when I said a joker about daddy issues, and then you said you wanted to forget, but selling your body wouldn't make you forget a murder. It would if you'd been r-raped, but I just – sorry. It doesn't matter! I love you either way, but I just worry…" Will inhaled deeply while Nico cocked his head to the side.

"I lost the question in your words, Sunshine," Nico snorted as he tried to manage a way out of this heavy answer.

"Did he hurt you?" Will whispered, hands running down Nico's face as gently as possible.

Finally, Nico closed his eyes and let his head fall into Will's touch. Memories swarmed past him as he spoke, unwanted and unpleasant. "I came out when I was eleven. Two days later, my dad visited me in my room with a knife and gag. Said all gay sons need to experience this. So, he gagged me and cut my skin. I thought it was sort of cool…until he took off his pants. Raped me." Nico huffed, watching Will's eyes grow wetter as he paused to take a steadying break. "He kept visiting me for three years or so before my mom caught him." Will gathered his breath. "That was how she died. That night…she came so close to killing him, too, held him off for a long time, but the cops weren't quick enough."

Will's thumb brushed up and down Nico's face in a more soothing than he expected. His eyes held great sorrow, but it wasn't pity. It was almost awe, awe that Nico came out of that situation alive, possibly. It wasn't the reaction Nico had been expecting. Will was so happy all the time, and he knew he'd mislabeled him as a boy without troubles, but it still felt like that half the time. Even so, he'd never told anyone the full story before. It was relieving, he supposed, but it didn't make the memories any less painful.

"I love you, you know that?" Will whispered, eyes staring into Nico's like he was dangling from a cliff. "I love _you_ , not your body or sex. You're a wonderful person, Nico, and you don't know that."

"I do know that,-,"

Will shook his head, loose curls swishing lightly against Nico's forehead. "No. You don't. Not as much as I want you to. So." His lips pressed onto Nico's suddenly, in a slow, passionate way that stirred something good deep inside him. "I'll just have to remind you."

Will began to pull away again, but Nico had other plans. He twined his hands into the blonde curls and yanked his mouth back down onto his. Their lips licked and tasted each other with a slow, churning desire. His hands landed on Will's ass with a loud smack, erupting a soft giggle from the blonde on his lap.

"As long as we can fuck every time you remind me," Nico snickered, not even giving him time to respond before attacking his neck. Will's protest turned into a loud moan, and instantly Nico was awake. "Gods, you're sexy."

"Really?" Will squeaked, pulling back with bright eyes. "Nobody's ever said I was sexy."

Nico rolled his eyes and pecked his lips. "You are with your mouth shut. Or better yet…something in your mouth." Will threw his head back laughing, exposing more of his chest for Nico to pounce on. In between licks and kisses, he mumbled. "Baby, you're hot surfer sexy. The muscles, the abs, the blonde hair, the perfect smile…gods, you do things to me."

Liking what he was hearing, Will ground his hips as brought Nico's lips to his. Their kisses grew faster, more desperate, and Will's hands were ready for more gauging by the direction they were moving.

Except, they heard voices. Loud and terrified. "Will! Oh my gods, somebody find him! Nico di Angelo, where the hell are you?" Suddenly, she was fumbling outside the door, and then the girl threw it open. "Oh thank the gods!" Calypso hurried to the bed and grabbed Will's arm, trying to pull him to his feet. "Come on! Leo's hurt!"

"I – uh – I'll be right out, give me-,"

"He doesn't have a second!" Connor and Michael came in along with Silena and Beckendorf, all four carrying a body that was almost too disfigured to recognize.

"Oh my gods," gasped Will, instinctively moving to stand and help. Nico yanked him back down.

"He's naked!"

"He's dying," Calypso challenged back with an angry glare. "Help. Him. I could only do so much! He needs stitches!"

"We. Are. Naked." Nico hissed with the venom of a snake.

"I promise, I'll run. Just let me get dressed," Will touched her shoulder, but Calypso shook it off. Her eyes were glowing like a full moon, and it was unsettling. Then, she stormed out, but the door slammed so hard it swung back open.

"Hey! Shut that!"

Will rolled his eyes. "Nico, it's okay-,"

"Fuck off, Will. Your ass is for my eyes only," Nico scowled, daring Connor to look near them. Luckily (for Connor's sake), he didn't. Will scampered around the room with a pillow covering his front side, nothing covering the back. Nico slowly made his own progress in getting dressed, knowing he was much less needed than Will was. Once he finally got his clothes on, Will sprinted into the living room.

Nico rubbed his forehead. He supposed now that his secret living department was no longer a secret he could relax a little. His friends (Percy) was very nosey, and some of them (Percy) didn't pick up on social cues or hints very well.

When he got out there, Will was putting in slow, steady stitches into a deep gash on Leo's arm. He assumed it had previously been gushing blood based on the nearly black shade of the sheet surrounding his entire upper body. Calypso was putting pressure on a wound on his torso and mumbling words, possibly prayers.

"What happened?" Nico asked, fumbling around for his pack of cigarettes. This wasn't good for his business. He'd yet to have replaced Annabeth and Percy, and now he was out another guy.

Calypso looked up with tears in her eyes. "My father."

"Fuck," Nico cursed. "Is he going to be okay?"

Will nodded. "I think so. He's too pale. I'd be more comfortable if we took him to the hospital. He needs a blood transfusion."

"Not happening," Nico mumbled, glancing worriedly around the room. "Will he pull through anyway?"

Will gritted his teeth. "Yes, but he'll be out for weeks. He really-,"

"We can't, Will," Nico pulled out a cigarette after finally finding one. "Anyone have a lighter?"

Michael pulled one out of his pocket. Will looked up with a murderous stare. "No smoking, Nico." With a heavy eye roll, Nico threw up his hands and tossed the cigarette back in the packet. "Why can't we?"

"He's illegal," Calypso cried.

"And the local hospital doesn't like it when I bring 'my kind' in," Nico hissed, cursing in Italian under his breath. It was one of the many reasons he wished Luke were still alive to take care of them. He was much better than Nico.

"Why?"

"The chief's wife slept with nearly every one working here," Connor snickered. "We don't get many women. Do you know how hard it was to get hard? Fuck."

Michael whispered something in his ear, making Conner adjust his pants. Nico couldn't have created a more unusual couple if he'd been forced to, and he had witnesses his lovely sister date a punk-rock girl for years.

"Why'd you sleep with her then?" Beckendorf asked, eyes exposing his suspicion as he looked around at everyone. "What do you mean 'your kind,' Nico?" The tension rippled off of the large man so profusely one could taste it in the air. Nico crossed his arms over his chest and looked pointedly at Silena, who was pink-cheeked and nervously pushing her hair in front of her face to hide from the audience. "What kind of place is my girl working at, kid?"

Nico narrowed his eyes, not appreciating the threatening posture Beckendorf held. "I think you have a good idea what we do or you wouldn't be asking, would you?" The man's hands were shaking as he cracked his knuckles. "Silena, it's time to tell him."

"No!" she cried, voice shrill and scared. "Please, not yet!"

Nico didn't leave room to debate. "I can or you can. Your choice, but I won't let him endanger the lives of everyone here. So leave."

"Nico, please," she begged, reaching out to grab his hand. Nico yanked away from her.

"He deserves to know, Silena," Nico whispered for only her to hear. Her eyes were glossy and wide, as if she'd known those words all along and never wanted to hear them. Meekly, she finally nodded.

"Fine," she sniffled before turning to Beckendorf. "I'll explain. The truth, I promise. Just…outside."

Beckendorf looked at everyone with a 'if I find out you hurt my girl I will kill each and every one of you' look before he trudged out the door after Silena. Will stitched Leo up in silence, everyone waiting on what they all knew would happen. Sure enough, five minutes later, Silena came back in tears. Presumably, Beckendorf slammed his fist into the side of the cabin and left with a squeal of tires.

"Um, how is Leo?" Silena wiped furiously at her eyes, voice beginning to waver. Calypso looked up from her job at wetting Leo's forehead with a cold cloth. "Can I help?"

Calypso, who'd just recently stopped crying, nodded. "Can you take over here? I have to call my mother."

She stepped outside, nearly knocking Piper down on her way there. Jason came running behind her, though Nico wasn't sure how smart of a decision that was. Her brows were furrowed, eyes dark and murderous. "What happened?"

To everyone's surprise, Leo mumbled out, "Cat fight. Meow. Shouldda had…Beauty Queen as my…backup."

"Leo!" Piper gasped, not even addressing the Beauty Queen comment. "My gods, you look like hell!"

"Feel like it," he hissed, flinched as Will tied the last stitch into his skin. "Aw. All you here to give me a kiss?" His eyes scanned the room, and with each passing person, his face fell. "Is she – did she not – where…?" Though his eyes were already watery, Nico could tell they were growing more and more wet. He could feel the disappointment and betrayal in his unfinished questioned. Nico didn't know what moved him to care much about anyone's feelings here – because everyone who worked there was beyond fucked up – but he knew how to make Leo feel better. So he walked outside and dragged Calypso in, forcing an end to her phone call.

She smacked at him multiple times, but when her eyes found an awake Leo, she dropped everything and ran to him. In a futile attempt to raise his arm, Leo blanched once more, but he forced his eyes open as Calypso hugged him tightly, crying into his dirty clothes.

"I'm so sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry, Leo. I –,"

"He'll be fine, let's give them some space," Will stood. "If he passes out, don't worry. He's lost a lot of blood. Give him as much food and water as you can before he does, though."

Calypso nodded softly, standing without worry of the tears on her face. She headed into the kitchen while everyone else filed out. Jason squatted by Leo's side. "Hang in there, buddy. At least you get Calypso doting on you, huh?"

Leo blinked so slowly, Nico thought he wouldn't reopen his eyes. "Hey, Superman? Fuck you. Feel…like shit."

Connor and Michael took Silena and led her out of the room, Silena beginning to cry again. Nico and Piper met each other's gaze with understanding and then knelt next to Leo's head. Nico patted his uninjured shoulder. "Say the word, Valdez. We'll pay him a visit much worse than this," Piper whispered with a venomous tone in her charming voice.

"Nobody touches my people. We'll shut him up," Nico hissed, and for a second Leo considered their offer. However, he shook his head, which made his tan, Latino skin appear almost as pale as Nico's.

"No. It's her dad," Leo croaked.

"Leo. You could have died," Piper growled, fists balling at her side. She stood up. "I don't care what you say. I'm going."

Jason grabbed for her hand, but she yanked it away. "Piper, he'll call the police on Leo. You can't."

Leo shifted and winced, trying to say something, but it seemed like he was on the verge of passing out. Piper whirled around on Jason. "You shouldn't even be here," she sneered, shoving against his chest "Stop fucking following me. I told you last night and I told you this morning. We're over."

Jason tried to hide his flinch. "He's my friend, too."

"Get out."

"Pipes-," Jason pleaded.

"Leave!" Piper pounded on his chest, angry tears forming in his eyes "Take your rich, snobby ass, buy a plane, and leave me alone!"

Jason grimaced, staring at her pleadingly. She continued to push him out, and finally he looked at his feet and nodded. "Feel better, Leo. I'll see you soon."

But Leo was asleep. Jason left with Piper shoving him toward his ride. Nico looked at Will, who was almost as torn up as Jason. Calypso came back with water and yogurt. Nico grabbed Will and led him out the door.

"At least Percy and Annabeth are doing well," Will mumbled with as much excitement as one would hold for going to a funeral. Nico sighed, wrapping an arm around Will's shoulders and letting his head fall on his chest.

"And us," Nico pressed a kiss to his forehead.

"You almost shot me last night."

"But I didn't."

"It's the thought that counts."

Nico genuinely laughed. Will looked at him with confusion. It didn't make any sense why the most gloom and doom person at Half-Blood Hill would be the one smiling despite everyone's worlds coming apart.

"Are you sick?" Will questioned, pressing a hand against his forehead. Nico grinned.

"Nah," Nico sighed. "I just had sex – actual, mutually desired sex – for the first time in, gods, years. It's going to take hell raining down upon us to ruin my mood. For a few days, at least."

Will gaped, stopping where he was. He smacked Nico's chest lightly. "Years? Nico di Angelo, who did you ever have sex with that you wanted to?"

Nico frowned. "Luke. Didn't I tell you that?"

"What?" Will shrieked. "No! You – I thought it was – he was years older than you!"

Nico shrugged. "I'd been having sex with random dudes for years. It wasn't like it was the unhealthiest thing in my life. I mean, it was only three times, right before he went missing. I was about sixteen or seventeen, though."

"Three times," Will repeated with an undertone of something Nico hadn't heard before. "That's a lot."

Nico snorted, "No, it's not."

Will's eyes burst into flames. "Did you love him?"

Finally, he understood what was happening. Nico threw his head back in laughter. "Oh my gods! You're jealous!"

"I just want to know."

"No, you're jealous of a dead guy," Nico shook his head with a rueful smile, stepping closer to Will. He grabbed him by his belt loops. "Baby, this is hot."

"This is not!" Will screamed in a whisper, eyes bright blue and wide. Nico smirked, pulling his body closer as the tension heated up. "You're avoiding my question, too."

"Yeah, I'm avoiding it," Nico mused, brushing his lips lightly against Will's, "because I'm trying to decide if we have time to go around back and fuck really quick."

Will began to speak and then faltered at Nico's blatant words. His eyes jumped between Nico's, and he sucked in a breath before connecting their lips completely. Nico didn't hesitate to move his tongue along Will's bottom lip, enjoying the slight vanilla taste. His hands moved down to Will's ass that felt so full. Will squealed into the kiss, gripping Nico's shirt as he lost his balance. Together, they fell to the ground smiling.

Will rolled on top and pressed a soft peck to Nico's lips. "I love you, Neeks."

Then, he jumped up and walked over to the rest of the gang surrounding Silena. Nico got up slowly, hard pressed to get that smile off his face. This was so unlike him, smiling because of some boy. He felt bad because Will had no idea how different he was for him. Luke was a crush, maybe a minor infatuation. Will was undeniably a deep, heart-wrenching, can't-live-without man he loved.

If he'd asked once more, Nico would have told him that, too. Maybe. He thought. Thinking was so much different. Thinking the words didn't make Nico's throat close up or his head grow dizzy or his heart clench in pain. But maybe that's what love was. Maybe you had to have pain to appreciate love.

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 **A/N: Soooooo like I suck at updating. We know this. And I'm sorry. I've actually been writing a lot in this recently, and I just forgot to freaking update bc I dumb. Anyways, I am currently writing chapter 16 of about 16/17 so that means...frequent updates! Think about every four/five days.**

 **Also SHOUT OUT TO THIS AWESOME REVIEWER: follow you into the night.**

 **I hope you read this because you give me the best longest reviews that literally make my fucking day. I love long rambling reviews never apologize for rambling.**

 **Please, everyone, ramble! Give me feedback! AND if I forget to review in four days, fucking spam me. PM me or review idc just remind me bc I'm honestly forgetful. I'll do my best to update on time, but if I'm slow, don't be afraid to give me a poke!**

 **:)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **A/N: I AM BACK! I didn't realize I was so behind on updating this story. This is a very short chapter, but it's because I'll be posting very often until I finish because I JUST FINISHED WRITING THE END! It's pretty good, I think, for me at least. Anyways, I'm sorry for the disappearance. College is fun, guys.**

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Nico spent that night alone. Will went to visit his mother at the hospital where his mom had been taken due to complications during her detox, and he'd intended to come back, but she was actually lucid and sober. Will had called Nico near tears because she for once resembled the woman he'd grown up with.

"She wants to meet you," Will said in awe. "She said her detox was hell and she was still crawling out of her skin for anything to get high on, but man, she was so strong. She didn't mention it much, even when she started bleeding from scratching her skin. She just listened to me talk for hours."

"What about?" Nico asked, feeling warmth spread through his body. Will sounded so happy.

"Well, you mostly," he chuckled distractedly. "She's headed to the rehab facility in a few hours, so I told her everything. She apologized for not being there for me. I think she's starting to understand how hard it was without her."

"She'll never get it fully," Nico responded. "You grew up so fast because of her. Not many people could handle it so well."

"I love it when you compliment me, babe," Will giggled giddily.

"You are amazing, so it's not hard," Nico snorted. Will began to speak, but then his phone beeped. He glanced at it and felt his heart stop momentarily. "Hey, I'm getting a call from the jail…and I have a bad feeling I know who it's from."

"Piper," Will whispered with fear. "Take it. Let me know if I can do anything. Love you."

Damn him and his words. Nico began to say it, he swore, but then Will hung up and he had to answer the call. "Piper McClean, I swear on the gods, if you-,"

"It's not Piper," said a gruff, familiar, and tired male voice. "It's Percy.

For a few seconds, Nico didn't know how to speak. Percy was calling from the jail with a collect call. He'd always envisioned this situation in reverse. There was a cold, horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. It felt like so long since he'd spoken to Percy. He'd almost forgotten what his last words were, but now he remembered.

"Please tell me you didn't," Nico begged, rubbing his face as he stepped outside. For whatever reason, he wanted to keep an eye on his people. He'd let Percy go and now he was in jail.

"I did," Percy said regrettably. "It's not that bad. They don't have a case."

"You're in jail, Percy. They have something." He cursed. "Dammit, I told you not to do anything! This was way over your head!"

"Nico, I'm serious. They have nothing. It wasn't even – no proof, okay? He's probably not even going to sue."

"Probably?" Nico questioned as he watched the now-arrived Piper half-heartedly flirt alongside Silena with an old guy in a beat-up car with dip in his mouth. He spat it out and the two girls got in.

"He's unconscious." Percy grunted. "I don't know what from because I DID NOT TOUCH HIM."

"You didn't?"

"They just arrested me because they saw me on his video surveillance from a few weeks ago. I'm an idiot and wandered into his yard and now all this shit is going down."

Nico could only tell he was lying only because he knew the real story. It sounded very convincing. He sounded distressed and annoyed rather than terrified like Nico knew he probably was. He could go in for years for this, especially if this guy was rich as shit.

"I'm on my way, but I'm telling Annabeth."

"No!"

"Enjoy your jail time while it lasts. It's a blast."

"Fuck you. Does Solace have you rhyming now? You're whipped as shit."

"At least I'm whipped and get laid. What about yourself, Jackson?"

"Fuck you twice."

Nico cackled and hung up. It turned out that he didn't know where Annabeth was, and Jason was still lingering in the woods. He'd been at that since Piper broke up with him for reasons that were unclear to Nico. So he walked to the woods and motioned. Jason came running.

"Jackson's in jail. I need some brains. Come along, Superman."

Jason crossed his arms, eyes shooting toward the parked car fifty yards away. "I can't. Piper's in there."

Nico sighed. "Yeah, and she's going to be there for a while. And then she'll probably do that again. You know how it is."

Jason shook his head, eyes waning with stress. "It doesn't have to be that way." Nico raised an eyebrow. Reluctant to answer, Jason rubbed at his head.

"What did you do?" Nico asked with a rueful smile. "It's not often Superman makes a mistake, huh? Don't know what to do?"

He shifted his feet and confessed slowly. "I sort of offered for her to come live with me. We're both headed to college soon anyways, and my dad loves her but… it didn't settle well with her."

Nico snorted. "No shit it wouldn't." Jason's eyes widened.

"Wait, do you know why she's mad?"

Nico looked at him wearily. There was no easy way to explain how patronizing or pitying his offer was. He gestured toward his bike. "Hop on. I'll explain."

They got to the jail quickly, Nico knowing the way from his ride out after his own time. Hazel had gotten Frank to give him a ride back to her home after they paid his bail. It was an amazing feat, really. Hazel had only just met Frank and she'd trusted him with her and her brother's lives. It wasn't horribly surprising when they both came to pick him up from the prison, as well. They had just started dating, all because Nico had been arrested.

Once they posted Percy's bail, they had to wait for him to get his stuff and leave. Jason asked his question again, so Nico decided he'd explain. "Jason, nobody likes to be pitied. You offered her that because you pity her and her 'situation.' Yeah, selling your body sucks, but you know, that's how she makes money. It's how she gets by. She's an adult, and she doesn't want to be taken care of like a kicked puppy."

Jason groaned. "But you don't see her face at the end of the night, Nico. It's heartbreaking. I can't stand the – it's not okay."

Nico bumped his shoulder grimly. "It's not, but you can't feel bad for her like that. She wants to be treated as an equal with you because she sure as hell isn't at work."

Jason cursed under his breath, eyes blinking rapidly. "You're right. Fuck, I get why she's mad now, okay, but still, Nico. This isn't healthy for her."

"It's not healthy for anyone," Nico agreed. "Just be there for her. Eventually, she'll move on from this. I know she's a saver. I'm not sure what she plans to do during college, but there's a good chance she's done after the summer."

Before Jason could respond, a guard escorted Percy to the gates. He waved cheerily toward them. Nico looked pointedly at Jason. "Can't save everyone, Superman."

Jason joined Nico to greet Percy. He looked at Jason and Nico, frowning. "Thanks, guys, but how are all three of us fitting on one bike? I'm all for a threesome, but I'm not too sure Sparky here is." Percy winked, and Nico gagged.

"I called Annabeth. She's on her way here with your mom. And you two are meeting our lawyer tomorrow morning, after you heal from the injuries Annabeth inflicts." Nico checked his phone. Percy cursed Nico to high heavens. "Do you have any idea how much trouble you're in? How much trouble Half-Blood Hill is going to be in? For fuck's sake, my dad returning was already enough."

"You ratted me out to my mom and girlfriend. Thanks for fuck nothing, Nico!" Percy hissed as they exited the jail, eager to get as far away from that place as possible. "What do you think I called you for?"

"They would find out one way or another. You know Annabeth," Jason pointed out.

"Then why'd you even come?"

"You paid your service for years. Just because you decided to be stupid a few weeks after you leave doesn't mean I'm not going to cover your ass," Nico snorted, not meeting either of their eyes. "Besides, it's a half-blood related incidence that started it. I've got your bail, and your lawyer."

"You're rewarding him for beating up somebody."

"Nah. I told him not to, but you can't prevent stupidity. Besides, the guy deserved it," Nico said. Percy and Jason were both silent. He peered at them curiously, and they stepped closer, analyzing him.

"My gods, Solace really did it, huh? He actually brought you up from hell!" Percy said in awe. He stepped forward and began to pinch Nico's cheek, but he slapped his hand away and put it in a wrist hold.

"I'll slit your throat while you sleep, Jackson."

Percy stepped away, holding his hands up in surrender. He began to say something, but then they all heard the sounds of a very angry girl. "What the hell did you do, you idiotic, stupid, all around dumb seaweed brain? Do you know how little we have to bargain life with? I swear-,"

"I hate you both," Percy groaned, turning to face Annabeth and Sally, the much quieter of the women walking toward them. Her face was red and blotchy, as if she'd been crying. Clearly, she had come straight from the candy shop that she worked at, and her hair was a wreck. "Mom. Annabeth. It's not what you think."

Without wasting a second, Annabeth shoved against Percy's chest so hard he nearly fell. "You fuck. I told you to let it go. I let it go! And now you brought it back. Can't you mind your own business?"

Percy had trouble restraining himself. He grabbed Annabeth's hand despite all her attempts at avoiding that. Slowly, Annabeth's hysterics calmed down, eyes connecting with his brewing sea-green ones. They stood so close, minds fixing in ways they simply hadn't before. An understanding passed between them. Mutual fear and hatred brought their hearts back together. Soon, Annabeth had tears welling in her eyes, though she never let them fall. "I'm sorry."

"I know," she whispered, leaning her forehead against his.

"I thought I would feel better. Do you feel better?"

"No," she said, clutching his head between her hands. "But thank you for trying to help. I've got it from now on, okay?"

He shook his head, hands wrapping around her waist so now he was hugging her against his chest with all his strength. "Together."

"Together."

Jason leaned over and spoke into Nico's ear, sending him jumping for the sky. "Do you have a good lawyer?"

He cursed and nodded. "His name is Chiron. He's great, but…they'll need a ride there for every visit. And his hearing is in three days."

"I'll take them," Sally walked over and gave Nico a hug. "How are you doing, sweetie? I haven't seen you in a long time."

Blushing, he forced a tight smile onto his lips. Sally had always been kind to him since they met, even knowing what he did. He'd never met somebody so out rightly kind; it made him a little uncomfortable, not knowing how to act around her.

"I'm good."

Jason slung an arm around his shoulders. "Got himself a cute little boyfriend, don'tcha?"

Sally beamed. "That's wonderful! And I believe you must be Jason. Percy hasn't stopped talking about you. You'd think it were you he's dating!"

Nico glanced at Percy and Annabeth again. He'd seen that coming for years. It was shocking it hadn't happened sooner. "Yeah, how did that happen, Sally? I swear I did everything I could to get Percy to make a move at Half-Blood Hill."

Sally's smile grew wider. The adoration she held not just for Percy and Annabeth, but for that relationship as a whole was undeniable. "Well, they moved in with me a while back. The only problem was that we only had Percy's room, so he offered to share it with her…including the bed, to my displeasure. And the rest is history, I suppose. One morning I come home and they're cuddled up like normal, watching a movie. I didn't see it until Annabeth kissed his lips rather than his cheeks."

Jason grinned, obviously understanding that the physical side of things had to be a pretty sweet lay out if Sally worked the nights, but Nico scowled. "I thought they got an apartment separate from you."

She nodded, rubbing her hands slightly. She was too thin. "They did. But money got tight. I hadn't moved from our old apartment, so we're managing fine. I'd imagine their commute to college is horrible, though. Not sure how they're doing it."

Neither did Nico.

Percy and Annabeth came by before he could question them further. "Thanks for bailing him out, Nico. We'll do whatever we can to keep Half-Blood Hill out of it," Annabeth said as she leaned into Percy.

"Thanks. I'll be at your hearing," Nico said. "You guys know you're always welcome back there, right?"

Annabeth nodded grimly. Originally, they didn't want the fall back option. But he could see the bags under her eyes. Honestly, Nico doubted if Percy was one hundred percent mentally stable. He was dumb, but he wasn't so stupid as to attack a guy with little to no plan. They looked so worn, so hungry, and so tired.

"We know. Thanks, Nico," Percy said. "Let us know when the next bonfire is. We miss everyone."

"We miss you," Jason said.

"You're not even part of everyone!" Percy shoved his shoulder, and Jason grinned knowingly.

"That's cold dude!"

"Take care, Nico. Jason, I'd love to meet you again soon!" Sally said, and then she directed Percy towards the car with harsh scolding words and a loving hug.

Nico wanted a Sally very badly.

He climbed on his bike and took Jason back, to which Piper had a screaming fit about. He didn't blame her. He needed some time to cool off from Jason every once in a while, too, and they weren't even dating.

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 **A/N: If I can just get two reviews on this, I'll post the next one whenever that happens. It's sooo short, IK but the next chapter is like amazing, I'd say. Sooo TWO reviews? I love you guys if you stuck around, true dedication!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything except plot and OC's.**

 **Dummy Alert: idk if any of you noticed, but I accidentally typed Micheal instead of Mitchell for Silena's brother. it was definitely meant to be Mitchell. I think I even had Will talk about Michael. Ugh. I dumb. Anyways, sorry.**

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Nico had expected to come back to an overtly happy Will Solace. He expected to get some energetic sex, or at the least give some generous head to his blonde angel. Instead, he came back to Piper cursing Nico for 'speaking to somebody as stuck up and demeaning as Jason.' Then, Clarisse came to him saying she'd been accepted to the early program at the police academy and would be leaving them tomorrow. And what he thought would be the worst news of the night came from his blonde angel/devil. Will had left him a voicemail saying that he was granted special permission to accompany his mom to the rehab center and spend the day with her before she'd be shut out from the world. His voice sounded too eager for Nico to be horribly angry, but it did make him feel a little perturbed. It was so unlike Will to make such an impulsive decision, but he supposed it'd never affected anyone more than just himself. Now it affected Nico greatly, and it was annoying. He wanted Will there.

Nico called him, but Will didn't answer. He wanted to call again, but Thalia came trudging up to him, looking as pissed as ever. "Hey, some shit hacked all your cameras. We need new ones."

Zoë followed behind with the rest of the cameras. "And it wouldn't hurt to buy a package deal and get laser tripwire."

Nico groaned, rubbing his forehead. This wasn't some street kid pulling a prank. He had no doubt it was Thanatos or Hades. Something had to be done, but he had no idea where they were or how to get to them. And the money this would cost would hurt.

"Great," he sighed. "Look, talk to Grover. I want the best security we can get around here. It doesn't sound like the police are going to do anything about my father."

"Yeah. Not like they had him right in front of him or anything," Thalia dropped the cameras at his feet with attitude. He felt his throat tighten. Zoë nodded her head toward him and followed behind Thalia, taking her hand with a firm grip, which would have made Nico curious if not for Thalia continuing to run her mouth with the worst news he could have received as she turned backwards and flipped him off at the same time. "By the way, fuck up, turn on the news. The Half-Blood Killer is back in action."

Nico's blood ran cold. He couldn't feel his feet, and for a moment he feared he'd topple over in the middle of the field. Thalia ran off, but Connor, Travis, Silena, and Piper all stared at him from the picnic table. One of them, probably Silena, asked if he was okay. But he wasn't.

His mind flashed to Will. It flashed to the pain written on his face as he recalled the events of his father's death. It flashed to the image of the only man who'd genuinely cared for his safety. It flashed to the image of blood baths and dead, pale faces. Nico knew it all too well. It flashed to the desperation he felt searching in vain for Luke and the crushing hope he felt when he knew it was a body he was truly looking for.

Unfortunately, he wasn't able to mourn the news for long because two new cars pulled up to the picnic table, and he was on the clock again. He barely had time to shoot Will a warning text, to which he never responded.

During a lull late that night, Nico pulled up the news, intending to search for the update on the serial killer. He didn't have to. It was plastered on every local headline.

" _Half-Blood Killer strikes again on a family of four. Police are positive it is the same killer; the signatures are exactly the same. After such a long lull, he stopped at nothing to get what he desired, even sending a local policeman to the hospital. Officials say he's thankfully now stable. If they weren't dedicated to catching this killer, then the police certainly are now."_

Nico swallowed deeply. There were three phone calls from Will and two texts. He glanced up with frustration. Another car pulled up, and Collin looked at him expectantly.

"No," Nico growled. "Tell him we're closing early today. Damnit, did Clarisse already leave?"

Collin nodded before hopping off the table and turning the car away. With an exhausted sigh, Nico grabbed his sword from inside and headed to the two cars. The first had Piper in it, and he knocked loudly before throwing open the doors. He came face to face with her boobs, to which he winced and looked away. It happened often, however, so it wasn't that much of a shock.

"Leave. Police are coming." Nico huffed, grabbing Piper and her clothes and tugging her out of the car. It was the best way to get any customers out without them asking for a refund. He couldn't remember the last time they used this, but he knew it worked, and as expected, his tires were squealing as he raced out of the area.

Nico did the same to Travis, who was much more excited to be leaving early than Piper. "I might even get Miranda to go out tonight," Travis smirked. "She'll say it's just to get a meal out of me, but…what works, works!"

Piper had other feelings. "I need the money if I want to get into college. And I have literally nowhere to go tonight. Leo and Calypso are _disgustingly_ loud."

Nico frowned. "Look, I have to take care of something, but you can stay in my room tonight. And Piper? Not paying for your dorm in college cuts out a shit ton of money. Get over at least half of your pride!"

She scowled, throwing her bra at his face as he turned away. He wasn't even phased. After telling Thalia that they were closing early, he dialed Will's number. Both of his texts were along the lines of 'call me' and 'I need you.' He had a bad feeling. Will practically never needed Nico. It was too alarming to even be weird or annoying to Nico.

Without an answer, Nico hopped on his bike and sped off toward Will's house. He couldn't pinpoint what the problem was, but it worried him that he wasn't answering. For a moment of absolute terror, Nico thought about his father. What if he wanted to get Nico where it hurt? What if Thanatos came to get what he was once refused?

Nearly swerving into an oncoming car, Nico shook his head and focused. He was almost there. Surely Will would be fine. It probably had nothing to do with his father. It was a stupid thought.

He pulled into Will's house and pounded on the door. Nobody answered for too long, so he walked through the unlocked door with aggravation. "Will!"

"In here," Will said in a hoarse voice coming from the kitchen. Relief flooded through Nico's body as he trudged toward the sound of his angel, but it quickly diminished when he saw the scene laid out before him.

Will sat on the kitchen counter with his knees pulled up to his chest, holding his body together tightly with his hands while his head rested on his knees. His eyes were red and his skin was blotchy, but he wasn't crying, not anymore at least. Below him, lying in a dazed heap, was his mother. An empty needle was at her side, and her eyes were crossed as she mumbled nothings. The rest of the kitchen was a mess of pots and food thrown all over the place at random.

"Will," Nico breathed with despair. His carefully stepped toward him.

"She was doing so well," he mumbled sadly. "I took her to get coffee before we headed over there…I shouldn't have taken her, Nico. I – the news was on and…and she saw."

"Saw what?" Nico asked while kicking the needle away from Naomi's face. She was working very hard to say something, but it was completely indecipherable.

"Saw that the Half-Blood Killer is back," Will said with complete devastation. His bleary blue eyes met Nico's, creating a horrible feeling in his whole body. "I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault," Nico felt a lump form in his throat. He wasn't good at comforting people, even if he desperately wanted to be.

"If she'd been at the rehab place like she was supposed to be, she wouldn't have seen it until she was mentally stable, Nico, so yeah. It is my fault," Will hissed with venom that hit Nico hard. He clenched his jaw.

Then, he leaned down and picked Naomi up. She weighed nothing, so carrying her to her tiny bedroom wasn't hard. He quickly got rid of anything that could accidentally harm her, though he doubted she'd be moving anytime soon. The worst of it was over.

When Nico turned around, Will was leaning against the door with wet eyes despite his angry glare. Nico sent him an equally annoyed look. "Alright, piss-face, now how can I help you?"

Will rolled his eyes. "Sorry," he said, though he didn't sound particularly apologetic.

"You're not angry with me," Nico shrugged. "Come on. You need sleep."

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" Will scoffed in a pouting manner, but when Nico wrapped his arms around the slightly shorter boy's waist, he leaned his head into his shoulder.

"Nah. Piper's staying in my room for the night anyways, and I'd much rather share the bed with my boyfriend."

At the base of the stairs, Will stopped. "You seriously didn't cancel everything just because I asked."

Nico smirked. "And what if I did?"

In a state of awe, Will could only manage to stare at him. Nico had no problem with that as he ran his hands down Will's face and between his golden curls. Finally, Will laughed without amusement. "Then that deserves a reward," he mumbled, biting his lip coyly. Sparks shot through Nico's stomach as Will's eyes finally let go of the anger building within them.

"I wouldn't be opposed," Nico smirked, inching closer to him by the second. "But you don't have to. I'm here for you. I'll always be."

Will nodded, his hands winding around Nico's neck eagerly. "I know. Doesn't mean I'm not really, _really_ into the fact that you dropped everything for me."

Nico chuckled, eyes jumping between Will's. "Only if you feel up to it," he whispered, breath mixing with Will's minty one. Their bodies fell against each other in a warm light, creating an energy that couldn't be held back.

"You have no idea how _up_ to it I am right now," Will said finally before jumping Nico. His legs wrapped around his waist as his lips attacked him without warning. Enjoying the sudden passion from his blonde angel, Nico kissed back just as fast, adoring the feel of his tongue running along those plump lips. Nico's hands gripped Will's ass as he stumbled backwards up the stairs, too addicted to the feel of Will's hands completely groping his whole body to put him down.

He squeezed his biceps, ran his fingers down his abs, kissed every inch of Nico's neck known to man; he was just everywhere. Unstoppable groans of pure pleasure escaped Nico's mouth far too soon to be proud of. He hadn't seen this side of Will before, but it was damn hot. His teeth bit Nico's neck lightly before sucking just above his collar bone. Without warning, Nico moaned loudly and fell backwards on the bed where Will continued to grind his pelvis into Nico.

Soon, their shirts came off, and then their pants, all at the hands of Will. Nico had been submissive many times before, but this was different. This wasn't sub vs dom. This was one man so massively in love with the other that he physically couldn't contain himself, all in order to give his love the most pleasure possible. Nico's whole body was pulsing with energy and excitement and utter awe for the boy grinding into him.

Will kissed down his chest, stopping at each nipple to flick them with his tongue, enjoying the way it made Nico shudder. His tongue ran teasing lines down Nico's abs, again making Nico fall back with a whimper. He'd never been kissed and touched and teased with such compassion before.

Then, Will pulled down his boxers and didn't hesitate in kissing further. Nico craned his head to watch the blonde work his way to his dick.

"You don't have to, babe," Nico panted even though he was dying for some type of pressure surrounding him. Will grinned upward, eyes locking with his just as he licked from the base up to his head. Without warning, his lips captured half of his member and began moving up and down. Nico fell back to the bed in ecstasy, calling out his name as he saw stars. His hands tangled in his blonde curls, and soon Will and him were meeting with perfect sync. "Gods, Will, I'm going to-,"

He couldn't finish that sentence because Will hummed as he slowly went all the way down, and that did Nico in. Tugging on Will's hair so tight, Nico came in Will's mouth with a loud groan. Will kept moving up and down, licking and swallowing every bit of his cum until Nico collapsed back on the bed, breathless and seeing black dance across his vision.

He was speechless, even as Will came up and lied his head on his chest with a smug grin. Nico eventually found it in him to rub soothing circles along Will's upper, muscular back. "Swear to the gods, that was the best head of my life."

"Well, you practically guided me through everything," Will said, and Nico could hear the blush in his voice.

"No," he panted, eyes blinking rapidly. "No, babe, that was amazing. I – wow. You just – everywhere – so deep – ugh you taking control is so hot."

"Really?"

"Really," Nico whispered, finally shifting his gaze downward into those sparkling blue eyes. "Gods, Will, I'm so fucking in l-,"

A gunshot rang through the house, cutting off all conversation.

"Find Will. My son will be wherever he is."

"Let's take them both. I want the blonde."

The voices were too close. Nico knew he stood no chance of succeeding, but he rolled off the bed silently, pulling Will down with him. They hid under the bed, breaths held and bodies shaking.

"Nico," Will whispered in protest. Nico shook his head.

"Not now. That's my dad and Thanatos…" Nico hissed, eyes locked on the door. He pulled on his underwear, throwing Will's in his face. "If we can reach the window, we'd have to jump, but we might be able to-,"

Suddenly, the door swung open and Nico was pulled out from under the bed by his feet. His pulse was racing as he stared Thanatos in the face. Wasting no time, Nico kicked out his legs and landed a solid punch on the yellow-eyed man's temple. He went down instantly. Will was by Nico's side, but he was hardly moving. Cursing the gods, Nico bolted towards the window.

"Hold it." The chilling, velvety words were accompanied with the click of a bullet sliding into the chamber of a gun. Nico turned around slowly, his heart sinking into stomach. Hades stood there, aiming the gun at Nico casually, as if he did it every day. "Boys, how are you?"

Nico grabbed Will's arm, fingers digging into his skin desperately. They couldn't go out like this. He had so much fight left in him. His body was bursting with angry energy, but he had no weapons.

"Will, I'm impressed. Not crying about your mother? We all know Nico was a blubbering mess about his, as I remember you were about your father," Hades walked closer, kicking away Nico's jeans incase he'd brought a weapon. He hadn't, and he felt like an idiot.

"How did…?" Will's eyes shot between Nico and Hades. "Did you s-shoot my mom?"

Hades shrugged. "She seemed to like the idea of going out in the same way as your dad. Can't resist making someone happy, right, 'Neeks?'"

"Oh my gods," Will choked out, stumbling forward on the bed, to which Nico's heart stopped. Luckily, Hades had been expecting such a reaction. "You're the Half-Blood Killer."

Nico's eyes hardened. He stared at Hades, unsure what to think. Nico never looked at it from that angle. Hades had always been the monster in his room at night. He'd always been the star of his nightmares. It was never a long jump from rapist to killer, not with pedophiles like Hades, but Nico couldn't believe he hadn't spotted signs of it before. Granted, he tried to block out anything to do with Hades, but he still should have noticed.

Frank had been right all along. His family had been a victim of the Half-Blood Killer. All along, Nico's closed-mind had been holding back the entire police force from tracking down the monster. So many deaths were on Nico's hands.

Hades shrugged. "So, what have you done to Thanatos, son? I'm only keeping your boyfriend around for his sake, so you better hope he's not dead."

Then, Hades glanced down at Thanatos and nudged him with his foot. Like a snake, Will's hands shot under the pillow and tossed Nico a knife. Acting on instinct, Nico lunged for Hades. A shot rang out, but he was on a mission. He was rejuvenated; they could escape now. He had a chance to save Will.

Nico stabbed downward, hitting Hades' chest but missing his heart. The gun dropped, but Thanatos was now stirring. He stabbed Hades again in the leg and made a move to leave, but a fire shot through his thigh.

He looked down to see blood gushing out of his thigh. "Shit," he cursed, looking at Will.

"Let's go," Will said shakily as he wrapped an arm around Nico's waist and practically carried him out his room and down the stairs, Nico cursing every two seconds. With each step, it felt like something was stabbing him again. "Put pressure on it. I'll drive."

Nico wanted to protest but couldn't find the strength to speak more than a hissed profanity. They climbed on his bike and Nico talked him through how to start it. His leg was pulsing by now.

Then, he heard the front door reopen. Nico shoved Will out of the way and slammed down on the pedal, starting the engine as he screamed in pain. They jumped on and rode off to the sound of two cars starting hot on their tails.

Will drove better than Nico expected, which was good because he was losing the energy to give any type of direction. Hades and Thanatos stayed close to them, though, and they weren't letting them out easy.

"They're herding us to Half-Blood Hill," Nico panted when he saw Thanatos pull ahead and cut off the turn for a second time.

"I know," Will shouted over the wind. "What do I do?"

Nico leaned his head on Will's back, savoring the feel of his muscled back for as long as he could. Their time felt far too short. "Dunno. We have guns there, so go. Maybe…maybe Thalia will still be around to help."

Even as he said it, he could hear the despair and hopelessness in his voice. Nevertheless, Will sped ahead of the cars, moving around the turns faster than them. "I'm so sorry, Will," Nico whispered. "Your mom and now…gods, what they're going to do to you."

"They won't. We'll stop them," Will said with such certainty Nico almost believed him.

"We have to kill them, you know that, right?" Nico said, feeling his head become dizzy. How much blood had he lost already? Could he even fight?

"Yes."

"I'm so sorry, Will." Nico cried, feeling his whole world slipping away. "I never should have let you stay. I was so fucking selfish and now it could kill you."

They parked as close to the cabin as they could, Will helping Nico at a quick pace inside. "You're not selfish, Nico. I-if we die," he huffed with a scared breathiness, "it was worth it. You're worth it, okay? I stayed because I wanted to. My mom…died years ago with my dad. You're all I have, Nico. You were worth it."

They stumbled inside and slammed the door shut. Will hurriedly locked all the windows, knowing it would do little good. Nico hobbled to their landline since Will's phone was at his house and his cell was MIA. The line was dead – clearly, Hades had been expecting this. He'd cut the lines before even coming to Will's house. Hades had to have been stalking Nico for days now, if not then weeks.

"Fuck," Nico fell against the couch miserably. Will came over and handed Nico a gun – the only gun. There were ten bullets, but it was still only one gun to their two. Will was hurriedly now wrapping Nico's thigh with a piece of cloth. His hands were shaking, either from the previous events or what was to come.

They sat there in silence once he finished, listening as two cars pulled up. Nico let his head fall on his shoulder, breathing so heavy now he thought he'd never have any energy again. "I love you," Nico suddenly blurted.

Will laughed, twining their hands together. It wasn't the reaction he'd been expecting. "You don't have to do that, Nico. We may die tonight, but I want to die with dignity and truth."

Nico shook his head earnestly. "No, Will. You don't get it. I've been so in love with you for so long. I'm just pussy shit. Love is…weak. You're my fucking Achilles heel, and I was the last person to admit it."

Will gave him his million-wat smile that seemed to just make everything okay. "Really?"

"Really, Sunshine."

Will pressed his lips to Nico's cheek. "Love isn't weak, though. It gives you someone to fight for. That's how I know I love you, Death Boy. So much."

And for what felt like eternity, Nico felt safe and happy and perfectly at ease. It was like everything was where it should be. Everyone was doing what they should be.

And then Hades kicked in the door.

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 **A/N: As promised, the next chapter! And wasn't this soooo good? Ahhhh! HADES IS BACK! Ah! And it only gets better from here... 😈😈**

 **Can I see some more love? You're all so great for coming back after a longgg break so willingly. I hope this has made up for it! Let's see SIX reviews pleaseeee?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except the plot.

 **A/N: I just want to thank all you lovely readers and reviewers! You're the best! S/O to the guest reviewer Phoenix87 for saying you love the way I write about love! It means a lot! And it is also simultaneously hilarious because I've never been in love before 😅 I just find it funny. Hahaha anyways, enjoy the chapter :)**

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Nico saw blurred images.

His head was bleeding profusely, alongside his leg. He refused to pass out, though. Hades shouldn't have been able to be so active after being stabbed twice and shot in the arm. One shot was all Nico was able to get in before Thanatos came from behind him and kicked the gun out of his hands.

Nico had been hit on the head with the butt of the gun and tied up. Will was across the room after giving them the fight of his life that Nico, regrettably, hardly recalled.

Then, his dad was in front of him, smiling evilly. Things worked out just as he wanted. It made Nico sick. "I could have come back before, you know. I kept my tabs on you. After all, you were the one who started it all and the one who got away. Both a prize and an item on my list."

Nico spat at his shoes, but all that came out was blood from his busted lip.

"But I think this is much more fun, Nicodemo. Look at your little boyfriend struggle. How adorable," Hades said with a teasing tone in his voice. He couldn't help but look as Thanatos' hands ran up and down Will's body. Nico felt his hands start to shake. "Before, you wouldn't have cared what I did to you, not really, but now? Now you know exactly what will happen to your innocent flower after we're through with you."

Then, Thanatos leaned over and kissed Will in an awkward, forceful way as Will tried to keep his face away. Will's eyes were wide and scared. No matter how brave he tried to be or how much his time with Nico had toughened him up, this wasn't something anyone could be remotely okay with.

His blood boiled. Hades was the cause of this. He did this. He was about to ruin the only person Nico loved. It wasn't fair to him, and it certainly wasn't fair to Will.

In a surge of adrenaline and pure rage, Nico slammed his whole body forward and knocked into Hades' head so hard blood started streaming.

It got everyone's attention.

Thanatos stopped what he was doing and looked up as Hades stumbled to his feet with a scream of rage, eyes narrowing on Nico. "Get over here, Thanatos.

Thanatos stopped what he was doing and looked up as Hades stumbled to his feet with a scream of rage, eyes narrowing on Nico. "Get over here, Thanatos. You can have your fun later. I have to teach Nico a lesson," Hades sneered, unbuckling his jeans with haste.

Nico clenched his eyes shut. His breathing increased as he tried to mask his terror. He knew what was about to happen. It'd happened hundreds of times before. It was horrible and painful and disgusting.

Thanatos, as always, came over and helped Hades shift Nico into a position in the middle of the floor suitable for Hades. He was sprawled out in a star shape, legs wide and ass exposed. And right where his eyes were aimed was a silent, colorless, terrorized Will.

Nico didn't even have the energy to fight him. He'd been through this before. He felt like he was back in their mansion, back to being twelve and scared and scarred. He'd always be scarred from it.

"Don't watch," Nico mouthed, face pressed against the ground as he stared helplessly at Will. Hades pulled down Nico's boxers while Thanatos stepped away. Will shook his head, eyes growing wet with tears. And as Hades settled on top of Nico, he matched Will's expression with tears of his own.

"Bet you miss this, boy," Hades said as he plunged into Nico without warning. His hands wrapped around Nico's throat, closing off the scream of horror, which was good. Will already was throwing himself against his bonds in attempt to escape. Thanatos merely pulled him back and ran his hands down Will's chest again. "Bet you regret sending the police on me, huh? Running away from me, too, right? You deserve much worse than this," Hades hissed into his ear as his hand smacked down on Nico's ass so hard he saw stars.

"Stop it," Will pled. "Please, I'll do anything!"

"It's not about you yet," Thanatos' hands moved to Will's crotch, rubbing and grabbing and making Nico sick. Will struggled against him, but that only enthralled Thanatos more. "You'll have your time soon."

"Bring me my gun," Hades barked as he continued slapping Nico with each thrust. Pain radiated from his entire body at this point. He couldn't imagine what it felt like to be pain free. It was a miracle Nico ever remotely forgot what this feeling was like. He was sure he never would, though he doubted he'd get the chance to think back in disgust of this moment.

Thanatos looked up with annoyance. "Let me have my fun, Hades."

"I said, bring me my gun. You can deal with him later. Nico doesn't deserve a break. This can be the last thing he remembers," Hades grinned, digging his nails into Nico's hips as he rammed into him with such force Nico cried out again. His body was screaming in pain. This was inhumane and cruel. It was horrible. He had no control – no ability to fight back in the least.

"Do it yourself," Thanatos snapped, moving his lips to kiss Will's neck. In turn, Will whimpered with fear, but something was off about the sound. Nico would have paid more attention, but then Hades flipped him on his back, the ropes twisting around his hands and ankles so tightly he lost feeling. Gods, what he wouldn't give to lose feeling elsewhere.

There was something in the way that Thanatos said those three words. When he craned his neck, Nico could make out that Will was mouthing something to him, but it was hopeless to try to figure it out upside down. In a moment of pure hope, Nico flipped himself back around.

"Distract Thanatos," Will mouthed, eyes shooting to under the couch. It didn't make sense, but he was willing to do anything. Then, Hades flipped Nico back around and slapped him so hard he worried he was going to pass out.

"Did I give you permission?" Hades growled. "Bad, bad boy. You need punishment. Thanatos. The gun."

Thanatos groaned loudly and tossed him his gun. Hades then shot the floor right by Nico's arm, grazing his bicep slightly. A horrible stinging sensation made him see black. Any second now, he was sure he'd pass out. Half of him wanted to. He could maybe die in peace

"Gonna do everything he asks for, Thanatos?" Nico snickered, like it made his day. "Always was the sidekick."

"Shut up," Hades slapped his cheek with the hilt of his gun. Nico's vision faded in and out as Hades threw Nico's legs over his shoulder, stretching the rope to the maximum. He could feel each thrust in his stomach, sending horrible waves of pain through his body. For a moment, he thought he'd vomit. Still, he pieced words together.

"Bet Hades didn't like it when you took a bite out of me, huh?" Nico smirked, looking at Hades. "Jealous that he didn't have to tie me down?"

Hades stopped completely, which was the exact reaction Nico had been hoping for. "Shut up, idiot," Thanatos sneered, pulling away from Will completely to loom over Nico.

"What did you say?" Hades hissed, looking between Nico and Thanatos. "Did you fuck him?"

Thanatos stood upright. "No. Of course not. He's yours."

"Is that right?" Nico snorted. "Did you know he's homophobic, Hades? He won't have sex with his clothes off. Only started fucking guys when he saw you did. You made it okay for him. Sound familiar?"

Hades stepped away, eyes narrowing on Thanatos. "He's just trying to manipulate you. I swear-,"

"Right outside here, too. When he gave us the visit," Nico choked as he tried to hold onto consciousness.

It seemed to confirm some thought inside Hades. The man raised his gun, pointing it straight at Thanatos. "Hades, don't do this. I – I'm sorry. I tried going for Will, but he wouldn't let me, and I knew you wanted him alive and-,"

The sound of a gunshot made Nico jump. He turned around to see Thanatos fall headless to the ground. Will jumped, and in that jump, he sent Nico's phone sliding across the room under the door to Nico's room. Gods, he prayed Piper wasn't a dead sleeper. Even Percy couldn't sleep through their noise, but then again…she hadn't come out of that room. Nico supposed any sane and smart person wouldn't have come out, though.

Hades sighed heavily and looked at Nico. "Any other delays?"

Nico smirked and shook his head. It was a small win, and he should have felt some guilt over getting a man killed. However, Thanatos was no more a man to Nico than an annoying pest of a rat. He felt no guilt. In fact, he felt a little joy. One monstrous man from his past was gone and it made the second so much easier to take on.

"Alright, smug little bastard," Hades wiped at his brow and glanced at Will. "You drove the love of my life out, so why don't I do the same to yours?"

"No," Nico mumbled. "No, Hades, I swear! Don't touch him!"

"What if I do? Gonna hurt me?"

Hades chuckled with true, terrifying amusement. He walked over to Will and untied him from the chair. Nico yanked at his bonds as Will landed a punch on Hades, but it didn't deter him.

"Will!" Nico shouted, praying Piper heard. "Will, his stomach!"

Will landed one punch to his stomach. It angered Hades so much that he slapped Will across the face with his gun. He fell to the floor, partially conscious and completely scared.

"Don't touch him," Nico growled, feeling all his energy come back to his hands. "Will, wake up! Run!"

Will was a stumbling mess, though. Hades had him bent over the couch in seconds, and Nico felt his stomach clench. Swallowing down vomit, Nico tugged on the ropes and finally got one hand loose.

It was almost enough.

Nico fought until his wrists were bleeding, but he couldn't make the ropes budge. And then he saw something. It was one of the pillows used for the pull out, and in his struggle, Will had kicked it directly beside his hand. One thing Will had picked up on the moment he stayed over was how Nico kept a weapon in or under every single furniture.

Nico took a moment of silence in awe of Will's insanely capable abilities of survival. Sure, he didn't know how to fight well, but he was so smart. He kept a knife under his pillow without Nico ever even suggesting that. Then, despite all the trauma of tonight, he was able to remember that Piper was staying in his room. And his ability to lie and sneak around and fight?

Nico was so impressed. He swore then and there he wouldn't let Will die. He was too fucking amazing and adaptable.

He maneuvered the pillow around until he could reach inside and find the taped holster. After that, he was sawing through each of the ropes in seconds.

Nico lunged for Hades, kicking the gun away from his feet and pressing the knife to his neck.

"Back the fuck away from him," Nico said seconds before the door burst open and sirens suddenly filled the air.

Hades tried to bolt, but Nico kept a firm grip on him, even drawing blood. The feeling was greater than Nico could imagine.

Beckendorf, of all fucking people, burst through the door alongside Frank. Now, Nico trusted those two with almost anything, but not when it came to Will or dealing with Hades.

Nico kicked out Hades' knees and then elbowed his shoulder to make him crumple. He pinned him on the ground and raised the knife.

"Nico, put the knife down. We got him from here," Beckendorf yelled, moving in fast. With an animalistic shake of his head, Nico pressed the knife further into Hades' skin. They stopped moving forward.

"Nico, don't!" Will screamed. "You'll go to jail! Please!"

"He's a monster," Nico seethed, tears streaming down his face. "He deserves worse than jail. He-,"

"But what about you? Or me?" Will hissed, stumbling forward. "We deserve _each other_ – not jail."

Nico shook his head, vision blurring with tears as he stared down at Hades' smug face. He knew what pain he'd caused Nico. He knew and thrived off it. The nerve of him pushed Nico to a hysteric state, and in seconds he was stabbing downward, aimed straight for his neck so he could feel his last breath exit him.

Before he could feel contact – before he could get the relief of feeling his hands take Hades' horrid life – Will tackled him.

And then he pinned him and threw the knife away.

"Gods, you're so stupid," Will mumbled as Frank and Beckendorf rushed around them.

Nico stared up at Will with a dazed, angry confusion. "You only got me because I'm fucking dying here," Nico mumbled, trying to see through the tears. "He deserves so much worse, Will."

"I know," Will agreed, releasing pressure and sitting up. "But you know what they do to child molesters in prison, Nico. He will get ten times what you could give him, and I mean that in the nicest way."

Nico wiped at his eyes, feeling himself grow weaker by the second. "Still rude," he sighed tiredly and leaned his head on Will's shoulder. "You saved us."

"We saved each other," Will shuddered.

His vision was going out, so Nico pressed his lips to Will's chest. "I love you."

"Nico?" Will asked, facing him. It was too late, though. "Oh gods, Nico…we need a medic! He's lost too much blood. Hurry!"

Nico felt himself go limp as he closed his eyes. The last thing he felt was Will pressing on his thigh and head. The last thing he heard were worried words of 'stay with me' and 'don't leave me, Neeks' and, his personal favorite, 'I love you.'

Nico didn't even care if he lived anymore. If Will got to be his last image, voice, and smell, he didn't care.

And that was his only thought as he drifted off in the blackness.

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 **A/N: I am just incredibly sorry for all the cliffhangerssss ;) what did you all think? Was the action what you'd hoped for? Do you like the way the Nico almost killing Hades played out? It's different to what many authors in that situation have their characters to do, so what do you think/why do you think it was like that?**

 **I love your feedback! Please keep it coming! I want a lot of love before we get to the very last chapter pleassee 😭😭😭😭**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything.**

 **A/N: ha, y'all thought I had the strength to kill off a main character from the best ship alive 😂😭😂😭😂😭**

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Percy was the first person Nico saw when he finally woke up. Of all the people he'd been expecting, it hadn't been his jail-bound ex-worker. "What the fuck…are you doing…here, Jackson?"

Percy spun around and knocked over his tray table that thankfully only held water. "Woah! You're alive!"

"And you're not in jail. We're both surprised today," Nico grunted as he tried to sit up. Percy laughed nervously, like he shouldn't even be in the room.

"Yeah, uh, I went. It wasn't fun, but I've had worse. Anyways, you missed a lot, dude," Percy said with wide eyes. He stepped back as if he'd accidentally set off a bomb. "But I'm not the one who should tell you that. Sorry."

Nico frowned. "Well, you're telling me. How long was I out?"

Percy scratched the back of his head. "Three weeks."

Time seemed to stop. Nico almost forgot how to breathe. All his energy drained out of him as he fell back on the bed. "How?"

Percy shifted his feet. "I really shouldn't be the one to tell you. I – I don't know."

"Well what do you know?"

"Oh! I know that Beckendorf got into the police academy early since he helped Frank on arresting Hades. And he begged Silena to forgive him, and at first she didn't. Then he told her she could continue working if she wanted. He said he would understand, but that she didn't have to. He – he fucking proposed! Can you believe it?" Percy was clearly flabbergasted. Nico sat up on his elbows and stared precariously at him. "Oh, yeah, she said yes."

"Wonderful," Nico groaned. "Is anyone still working Half-Blood Hill?"

Percy sighed heavily. He sobered up from the excitement of Silena's engagement as he sat on the edge of the bed. "Yeah. Annabeth and I have been running it. We brought in some new recruits, too. Strippers who were after some cash. They're not bad, a little shaken up, but…"

Not expecting this at all, Nico raised his eyebrows in surprise. "Really? What about college?"

Percy shook his head grimly. "We dropped out a long time ago. Well, I did. Annabeth is still taking online classes like she's done from the years before. Almost has her degree, too."

Nico sighed. "I thought so. Does that mean you're coming back?"

Percy shrugged. "I am. Annabeth…isn't. Actually, that's why I'm here at all, no offense. I just needed a room to think."

Nico felt his head drop to his shoulder. This so wasn't the conversation he'd wanted to have when he woke up. Already, he was ready to go back to sleep. It hadn't felt long enough, three weeks and all. "Why?"

"Annabeth's pregnant," his voice cracked as he spoke, eyes wide and nervous. Percy ran his hands through his hair and breathed deeply. "She's really pregnant, dude."

"Damn, how?" Nico said as he pushed himself up. He refused to sleep again, not before talking to somebody who knew anything other than useless information. Nico was happy and terrified for Annabeth, of course, but he also wanted to know if Will was safe and where he was and how he was doing and where Hades was.

"We forgot that her five-year birth control implant went out, you know, the one you gave her when she started? And since she wasn't still working at HBH…well, it's amazing we didn't notice earlier." Percy huffed. "I'm not ready for this. I don't even have a real job."

Nico felt his chest tighten. He shook his head. "You do. You kill it at HBH. I'll give you a raise. Annabeth will get her degree. Hell, Will will probably offer to watch the kid for free half the time if he's still around."

"If?" Percy scoffed. "Lou Ellen had to drag him out of here. He was starting to smell, I heard."

That thought made Nico smile with content. He closed his eyes and fell back on the bed. "Girl or boy?"

"Better be a boy. I can't protect two beautiful girls in this fucked up world."

Nico started laughing. "We both know Annabeth protects you more than you do her."

"Shut up," Percy hung his head. "You'll really give me a raise?"

Nico nodded. "Stick around for a few months. Things are gonna change."

His heart felt heavy. Something had to change. So much had happened, and though it just felt like the day before, Nico knew it'd take more than time to move on from everything. The answer satisfied Percy enough.

"Well, I should probably go. I told Annabeth I was calling my mom…to tell her the good news," he said with a wave of uncertainty. Nico rolled his eyes and threw his pillow into Percy's face.

"It is a good thing, idiot. You're going to be a dad – a damn good one, too." Nico muttered tiredly. "Call Will and tell him to help me escape from here, will you?"

Percy grinned. "Sure thing."

Peace and quiet helped Nico come to terms with the little bit of information Percy had given him. Three weeks was a long time to be out. So much surely happened during that time. With a pang of guilt, Nico realized Will had to go to his mother's funeral alone. And after what they did to and in front of him, Nico couldn't imagine he was coping well at all, not without someone to talk to.

He felt horrible.

Shortly after Percy left, a doctor came in. When the term doctor was given to someone, one would assume it was somebody moderately fit and well kept. This doctor did not meet those expectations.

"Do Angel?" he said, tired eyes scanning the chart.

"Di Angelo."

"Sure. Anyways, I'm Doctor Dionysus," the middle-aged man with a pot belly and five-o'clock shadow said. His eyes were a washed-out color that did not strike Nico as intelligent. "Took you long enough to wake up. You remember what happened before you came in?" Nico nodded. "Well, we took you into surgery and repaired your wounds, but you lost a lot of blood and didn't respond great to the antibiotics. You got septic for a few days – not good, kid. To your fortune, you bounced back. Congrats," he sighed without much enthusiasm. Nico frowned, unsure if what he said was actually good news. "Probably should stay another two days, though. And good luck walking without ripping the stitches."

He left. Nico grinned. Cold and straightforward was an interesting way to be as a professional, and he liked it.

Feeling the exhaustion again, Nico fell asleep quickly. This was less peaceful than he'd have wanted. Horrible images flashed through his mind, all memories. His father. Thanatos. Will. Will was probably the worst one to handle. He'd always have memories of his father raping him, but having to see Will flinch and sob as he watched truly broke Nico's heart.

Luckily, loud noises pulled him from his nightmares.

"Well, I'm not sure what you expect me to do now, Piper! It's a little short notice!" The scratchy sound of Leo's voice wasn't one Nico could forget, not even after such a long break from it. "I just got back on my feet, for fuck's sake!"

"College starts in two months, Leo. It's not that short notice," Piper said in a softer, guiltier tone.

"That-,"

"Lay off, Leo. You can find a new roommate in two months. Maybe one of the newbies," Jason offered. Keeping up with the many voices was giving Nico a headache. He rolled on his side and clutched at his ears.

"You idiots, shut the fuck up! He needs sleep! And quiet!"

Warmth spread within his heart, and soon along his cheeks as Nico grinned into the bed, muttering warmly, "Missed your controlling ass."

"Gods, Nico," Will whispered in awe. Suddenly, his warm arms wrapped tightly around Nico's chest.

"Ow?"

"Sorry!" Will jumped a mile from the bed. Nico finally opened his eyes and got a good image at everyone. Piper, Jason, and Leo all stood at the foot of the bed, staring at him with relief as one should.

Will, on the other hand, inched closer slowly, as if he was glass that would shatter by touch. In reality, it was the other way around. In the time Nico had been out, Will seemed to have lost every speck of shine he once projected like the sun. His hair was too long, covering his eyes almost fully, and it was now a duller color. There were deep bags under his eyes, making the blue in the iris seem darker.

And his arms were covered in red scratches.

"I got stabbed and came out looking better than you," Nico muttered. Then, Will was smacking him.

"You idiot. Don't scare me like that!" Will breathed as he lowered his head against Nico's. "Do you feel okay? Need any pain medication?"

Feeling like seeing a true smile out of his angel, Nico smirked as he said, "Only pain meds I need are your lips, baby."

"Bleh! Gross!"

"Who could have thought he actually could be nice and charming if he tried?"

"That is a side of Nico I did not need to see."

Will shot them glares over his shoulder worthy of hell itself. "Then leave. Get him some food," Will snarled with more bite than he'd ever had before. It sent chills down Nico's spine. The way the words slid so easily out of his mouth was unsettling.

"Man period to the max," Leo mumbled as he exited the room behind Piper and Jason. Nico made sure to not laugh as he looked up at Will. A sickness dipped into his stomach, seeing the strain he'd clearly put on his soul.

"Hey," Nico said, scooting over and patting the bed beside him.

"Hey," Will bit his lip, carefully propping himself on the edge of the bed. With a frown, Nico sat up so they faced each other. Neither seemed to know what to say or where to begin. There was so much Nico needed to know. It was hard to prioritize it with Will's gorgeous face right in front of him.

To solve his problem, Nico reached forward to caress his face and pull him closer, but the moment his hand made contact with Will's face, he could feel how stiff he'd suddenly gotten. Will's eyes were closed tightly, and it seemed like he was holding his breath.

"Will?"

"Hmm?" Will forced his eyes open, trying to fake a smile. Nico saw through it. His eyes were a dead giveaway. It was like staring at a trapped animal.

A weight settled in Nico's stomach, making him sick as he realized what this was about. "Oh," he mumbled, pulling away from him. "You can't stand me to touch you, can you?"

Will faltered. "N-no! It's not you. It's – well-,"

Nico's fists clenched as he tore his eyes away from Will. "It's because of Hades, isn't it? You saw him – _touch_ me and now you can't…" Coldness settled in his heart. "I get it." His eyes closed as he fell back on the bed, anger settling in his soul. Still Hades would be affecting his life. There was no escaping it.

"No," Will admonished. He lied down beside Nico carefully before his hand slowly intertwined with his. "No, Nico. It's not that."

He had trouble believing him. Who would want to touch a dirtied, used guy like Nico? "Sure."

Will willed Nico's eyes open as he continued to run his thumb along Nico's hand. "Nico, I swear. It's just been so long since anyone but T-Thanatos – since you touched me. I just wasn't prepared."

That was hardly better. Nico felt only full guilt for bringing Will into this. He'd never be able to forget having to watch Will tremble beneath Thanatos' hands or the way his whole body had been clenched, trying to get a handle on what it felt like to be molestation and felt up in ways that had previously been unimaginable. In a quiet voice, Nico whispered, "Are you sleeping, Will?"

His eyes darted to the side as he answered hesitantly. "Not enough, I know. The dreams won't go away, though. It's like repeating it over and over…I hate it, Nico. It's terrifying."

Nico tried not to let his expression show how heartbreaking that was to hear. Will's face was struggling not to crumple. He had nothing to make it better, either. So, all he knew was to ask, "Can I hug you, Will?"

Without words, Will moved closer, and Nico pulled him into his side, letting his head rest on his chest as he cradled his body, running his hands through his hair to let him know he was there. He'd always be there. "I'm sorry. I know you went through way worse. I'm so stupid and naïve and I -,"

"Will," Nico breathed. "Shut up." Will was again holding his breath, unsure what to do. "Your pain is pain. It doesn't matter what I've been through. You went through something nobody should go through, too. I'm – so sorry," Nico choked out, feeling wetness slide down his cheek. He felt sick, knowing it was his fault for tearing Will apart. "I never should have let you stay. It's my fault."

Will shook his head. "You're worth dying for, Nico. Some sleep and minor sanity is a small price for your love," he said, looking up into Nico's shining eyes. Will ran his hand down Nico's face. "Did you mean it?"

Finally, Nico broke into a tired grin. "I've meant it for too long, Sunshine."

Will pursed his lips, scooting upward with a small hint of a smile. The warm breeze of a soft summer's day settled on Nico's shoulders – always the needed side affect of Will's gorgeous smile. "I'm so deeply in love with you, Will," he spoke, inching closer to those pink, tempting lips.

"I love you, too," Will said giddily. He rolled on to his stomach, inching closer to Nico's face. His heart jumped, and the monitor informed them both of that, making Will grin smugly.

"I don't want to hear it, Solace," Nico hissed against his lips.

"Sure thing, di Angelo," Will said before sliding his tongue along Nico's lip, and that was where all talking stopped. Emotions flew high as their slow kiss filled with passion. It felt like years since Nico had been able to kiss him. His lips were so soft, moving against his expertly. Will's hands ran along his body, enjoying and producing joy along every muscle. "I can't wait until you're back to normal. I _need_ more sex."

Nico chuckled, finding satisfaction in the way their warm breaths mixed. He eyed Will's bright blue orbs with intrigue. "I've created an addict," he smirked.

"Maybe…"

"Good. That's hot." Nico nipped at his lip lightly. "Have to be to keep up with me. I've gone too long without real sex every day."

"Every day," Will hummed as if it were candy on his lips. He let out a low groan, making Nico's heart jump a mile a minute. "Sounds amazing."

With excitement on the mind, Nico pulled Will back down to kiss him again. He'd never get to kiss him enough. Ever.

. . .

Going back to Half-Blood Hill wasn't easy. The air was filled with less tension. It seemed easier to breathe. When he made it over the crest of the hill, the first thing Nico saw were all his friends sitting on the bench laughing. In the middle of the bench was Will with his blonde hair shining and blue eyes glistening. When he met eyes with Nico, his smile turned into a soft smirk. Beside him sat Conner, with his hands laid back behind him in a way that hid the fact that Mitchell's hand was resting on top of his.

Piper and Silena were talking animatedly, both pouring over Silena's cell phone. Annabeth and Percy stood behind the table with more serious expressions. They seemed to be surveying everyone. There were two cars parked out back. Nico could only assume Leo and Travis were working because Calypso and Miranda were both visible leaning against the cabin by the door.

Before anyone else could come up to him, Thalia and Zoë appeared out of nowhere. "I told you to upgrade the fucking security!" Thalia hit him upside the head. "Stupid!"

"She means to say thank you," Zoë rolled her eyes. "With Hades in jail for centuries, she's been able to move on."

"Don't talk for my feelings. Or make me sound like a wimp," Thalia glared, shoving Zoë, who countered that by grabbing Thalia by her wrist and laying her out. Nico stepped back in preparation for Thalia to completely explode. Instead, Zoë kept her knee on Thalia's chest, leaned down, and pressed her lips to Thalia's.

When she hopped up, she looked to Nico with a smirk. "See. Growth."

"Good," Nico said, though he was a little queasy at the idea of those two particular girls together. Thalia hadn't expressed an emotion since the day of Bianca's funeral. "I'm glad."

"Anyways, Annabeth got in touch with Grover and Juniper, and they came up with enough money to buy better security," Thalia got off the ground and walked with Nico toward the bench. "We already got it in, actually."

"It better not have lowered anyone's cuts," Nico hissed.

"No. They're buying cheaper food now, that's all."

He planned on asking where else they took from, but then a blonde bundle of energy crashed into his side. With a stiff laugh, Nico wrapped his arms around Will's lean body, enjoying the heat radiating off him.

"Hey," Will murmured. "They've missed you. I've missed you."

"You saw me two days ago," Nico pointed out, brushing his hands along his soft skin. "Is everyone here?"

Will nodded. "Leo and Travis should be finishing soon. Why did you want everyone here?"

Nico felt his lips tug upward in a smile. "I have my reasons." Will stuck out his lip, pouting in a way that made his freckles ripple in the sunlight. With the weight of the world off his shoulders, Nico couldn't resist dipping his head down and giving him a soft kiss. "Don't worry about it, Sunshine. It's good news."

"What's good news?" Jason asked as he walked by. Piper instantly stood and pulled him toward the table, so Nico and Will followed suit.

Nico took a deep breath. He'd been planning on waiting for everyone to be there, and they were still missing two guys and Clarisse and Chris, even if they technically weren't still there.

"Well, I've been -,"

"Di Angelo. Solace." Beckendorf came out of nowhere. Thalia and Zoë mouthed their apologies because they'd clearly noticed him walking through the woods to the hill. Meanwhile, Silena looked so pale that she might pass out. Her eyes followed his every move as he neared the table. Beckendorf didn't spare her a glance. "Come here."

Will and Nico exchanged a glance and shrugged, walking far enough away to give the three of them privacy. Beckendorf looked angry, though he always looked angry. His eyes followed them both around.

"Beckendorf," Nico grunted in surprise. "I'd thank you for saving our asses, but that's not the reason you showed up here. So. What do you want?"

His brown eyes seemed to grow darker the more he looked at them. Will's hand snaked its way into Nico's and squeezed tightly. He scooted closer, so Nico wrapped an arm around his shoulders.

"Look," Beckendorf breathed with trouble. "I'm trying to – to understand what she does." There was no need to ask who 'she' was. It was obvious from his determination to avoid looking in her direction that it was Silena. "I didn't get it before, but then we got called here and I saw…I saw what you two went through. I – it's impressive, what you all go through and come out functioning."

Nico nodded. "It's not easy."

"It's better when you have someone to talk to, though," Will glanced toward the picnic table. "If this is how she has to get through, all you can do for her is accept her and be there for her."

Beckendorf finally looked at her, heartbreak rippling onto his face. "I know that now."

"Then tell her that," Will said. "She'll forgive you."

"She shouldn't."

"Maybe," Nico shrugged. "But she will."

He heaved a big sigh and nodded, trudging over there slowly. It didn't matter. Silena bounded toward him in a half-run the moment she noticed he was nearing her.

"That's cute," Will sighed, looking up at Nico. "Isn't it cute?" His words got lost in the dull pounding behind his ears. The low breeze picked up until it was blowing Will's hair in all directions. It was a cool breeze, one that normally comes before a storm. Nico didn't want to stick around for the storm. "Nico? Can you hear me?"

Nico turned to Will, eyes scanning over his beautiful smile. Then, he grabbed him by his arms, stepping directly in front of him, eyes pulling out the answer he wanted to hear from him. "I'm done here, Will. I have enough savings to last a while. I – I need time to work on my art. And I need time for you." Will blinked, eyes showing no signs of eagerness nor disgust. "I know I won't be some hot shot doctor, but I love you…and you love me, right?"

"Right," Will said instinctually. Then, he blinked, as if his words had just hit him.

"So…"

"So?" Will said with a nervous laugh that made Nico's heart pound. "Where are you going to go? It's just – I don't know if I can come with you. I'm going to college this fall – somewhere. I'm not sure where yet, but, just, tell me where and I can choose one sort of close, you-,"

"Will," Nico grinned. "I said that because I have no plans. I can work on my art anywhere."

"I'm not following…" Will frowned, inching closer to grab Nico's hands. He stared up at him with the brightest blue eyes Nico had ever seen. It made his heart skip a beat, seeing how intensely he gazed at him. Nobody had ever done that before. He'd never felt such raw love in one look.

"I'm coming with you. I'll buy an apartment near your college and get some job part time." Nico breathed out, feeling pounds come off his shoulders as he did so.

"Seriously?" Will whispered in awe. Nico nodded, and that was all it took for Will to jump into Nico's arms.

"Ow," Nico groaned. "Not fully healed."

Will hopped down but still grabbed Nico's hair and pulled their lips together. Stuck in surprise, Nico kissed him back slowly, igniting hot feelings in his core. He licked along Will's lip, enjoying the taste of vanilla on his skin. His tongue was so soft and gentle, a fact Nico hadn't noticed before. He planned on noticing all the facts about his ways of kissing soon. He'd have the time.

Sudden cheering erupted from the picnic table, disrupting their kiss. Still grinning, Nico grabbed his butt firmly. "We'll finish this in a few minutes, okay?"

Will smirked eagerly and followed as Nico led them to the table. Everyone was crowded around a pair that hadn't been to Half-Blood Hill in a while. Clarisse climbed to the top of the table, and her boyfriend Chris followed suit. She then thrust a paper high into the air. "She got into the police academy! My girl!" Chris cheered and pressed a kiss to her cheek. Clarisse followed that by elbowing him, but it didn't take away the bright smile on her face.

"What's your announcement, Death-Breath" Clarisse laughed from atop the table. "Better not be a downer."

Nico shrugged smugly and walked to the table where she offered him a hand up before hopping down. He motioned to Percy and Annabeth. With confusion, they joined him. Looking down at everyone, Leo and Travis having made it back, Nico felt a sadness hit him. This would soon become his nostalgia, he realized. He would miss this – not the job, but the people. His only regret would be not recognizing them for what they were sooner. He'd miss his family.

"Guys, I'm not a speech giver," he said with chagrin as his eyes found a giggling Will. "But thanks for being there for me when I was out. Thanks for being there for me since I've been here, really. I didn't see it that way then – only as a job – but I do now. And…I'm really going to miss leaving you all."

A crowd of gasps took over the ground. Annabeth grabbed Nico's arm in shock. "Nico! What do you mean?"

He could taste the freedom on his lips, causing an enormous smile to form. "I'm leaving. I've done my time here. Will's going to college, and I'm going with him. I've been here far too long."

"But-,"

"And Annabeth and Percy are going to take over. Normally, I'd say just Annabeth-,"

"Wow, thanks," Percy pouted.

"But Percy won't hurt much whenever you're out with the baby. Well, I hope he won't hurt much," Nico snickered, eyeing him with mirth. Everyone laughed, but it was a sad, tired laugh. He could relate, but hopefully that laugh would all become a distant memory.

"Nico," Annabeth breathed. She stared at him for a few seconds before flinging her arms around him and crying into his shoulder. "Don't judge me. I'm pregnant." He laughed and hugged her back until she finally stopped crying. "Thank you."

Nobody would know how much that would help them. The pay difference was huge, and the emotional toll lifted from Annabeth would change her entire world.

"I just want to remind you all that this isn't your final destination. This is a stepping stone," Nico said, hugging Annabeth tightly. "Don't forget to move on because this isn't who you are, not in the least."

Silena started the clapping small, but it quickly turned into something large. Soon, everyone was clapping. Percy shoved Nico, and they all caught him, tossing him into the air with love.

When he finally came down, he met at Will's feet, grabbed the blonde god by his hips, and smashed their lips together.

They climbed on the motorcycle parked behind the cabin that evening for last time. Calypso and Leo would be escorting them out in her BMW as they went on their way to her father's house where Leo was now welcome. Annabeth, already making changes to the cabin, said her goodbyes earlier. Travis and Miranda were working where a new garden soon would arise, and they waved goodbye. Jason and Piper were packing up the last of her things – she was done here as well.

Percy stopped them before they left.

"You have a lot of people to replace," Nico said with a smug grin. "I'm glad I'm not in your postion."

Will wrapped his hands around Nico's waist even tighter. Percy looked at him with a knowing grin.

"Gonna go have some good celebratory sex?" he asked. Nico glanced at Will and shrugged in a 'why not?' gesture.

"Fuck yeah."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Percy said, but his tone was rushed and hurried. His voice grew graver. "We'll miss you, Neeks. Come by when you can."

"I will," Nico nodded. "But I'm hoping I'll be long gone, no offense." Percy cracked a smile.

"Of course."

"Don't screw it up, Jackson."

"Wouldn't dream of it, di Angelo," Percy said and then pulled him in for a bro hug that was definitely needed. Neither of them said another word as Nico revved up the engine and sped off after the sunset.

Will kissed his neck, nipping his skin lightly. "You better have not been lying about the sex."

Nico snorted. "Just wait. You'll be begging for a break long before I'm done with you."

Will giggled in a way that said they had no restraints problems left in the world. He rested his head on Nico's shoulder. It was nice knowing he was there. Nico had no idea where they were going. It should have scared him. Instead, it rejuvenated his crushed soul in the places that even Will Solace couldn't reach.

* * *

 **A/N: and there it was. what did you think of the ending? honestly, I hate most of my endings, but I think I like this one. definitely not going to extend this any further. it's the first story that I think I really like overall and didn't extend it too far. if you're looking for fluff, I have that in multiple short stories, so be sure to check those out.**

 **thank you all for sticking with me through this long journey of a story. I'm sorry for going MIA for a while - college man.**

 **stay smiling! XOXO**


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